Through the Eyes of an Orphan
by Rosabell
Summary: Two stories in one; Seto Kaiba writes a memoir, and Mokuba publishes it without his knowing. Meanwhile, Seto was suffering from anemia. Will the world learn from its mistakes and support his recovery? Not a regular ' Seto's past' fic. R R please!
1. Prologue

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Prologue

Noa had no idea what made him walk into that library.

Ever since that incident with Yugi-tachi and Seto, Noa found himself acting strangely.

If course, as strange as someone who had been digitized and then inserted into a physical body would act.

Well, he walked into that library. It was a rather huge library, but that day there weren't many people around. All gone to some kind of vacation, he supposed, as it was a long weekend. 

As he was in the library, and it was hot ouside, Noa thought his accidental trip should be made worthwhile. Even if Yugi-tachi _were _there, but Noa had the ability to go unnoticed by people. So he used it now.

It was a long time since he read a book. Noa couldn't even remember the last time he held one in his hands. Was it when he was still alive? Noa didn't really know. He always thought books were so dumb, written by people who think they're smarter than other people, and were admired by people simply because they were authors.

Then he saw it.

It was later that he found out it was accidentally published, but that time he didn't know, so naturally he thought it quite odd that Seto Kaiba would write a book, a memoir, in fact. The last time he checked, Seto Kaiba was rather conservative about his personal life.

Well, he got the newsflash this time.

What made him reach and take the book?

_ I'm going crazy._ Noa thought. _As if I'm not crazy already, but what do I care about this person who stole my place?_

Not a thing. But still, curiosity was something that drove anything that could think. Which was kind of why computers don't think. They aren't curious. But Noa isn't a computer.

He's now flesh and blood. And however cold his heart may be, the curiosity was still there.

He flipped to the back cover.

" A heartbreaking story," said the Tomoeda News. " It is sheer talent and genius, and what is more painful is that it's actually true."  
" It gives you a real look on life through Kaiba's eyes." Said an author, and from what Noa could remember he was a rather famous one. " And perhaps a true look at people when you're on the other side of society."  
" A surprising work from a young child that had grown up too fast." Said another author.  
" Ten thumbs up."  
" With his heart Kaiba wrote the story of how he grew up in a world where everyone turned their back on him..."

Noa wrinkled his nose in disgust. Some people get over-dramatic. But inside he suddenly wondered. Seto Kaiba? Writing a memoir? What exactly could there be that made people so crazy all of the sudden?

So Noa Kaiba did the unthinkable.

He borrowed the book.

  
  
The book was titled " Through the Eyes of an Orphan". 

Well, that got Yugi interested, considering he was pretty much an orphan himself. Then he looked at the author.

" Hey Jou! Kaiba wrote a book!" He cried.

That got Jou's attention. " Nani? Kaiba writes books? Which Kaiba do you mean?"  
" What do you think." Anzu slapped Jou's head. " Gozaburo never wrote a book in his life, and Mokuba's wouldn't get published. Of course it's Seto Kaiba-? What kind of title is that?"  
" Don't know. Don't care." Honda shrugged. " Hey, Yugi, are you actually going to borrow that book?"  
" Sure. Why not?" Yugi smiled in his innocent way. " It might be a way for me to understand him better."  
" Don't know why you'd even bother trying." Jou shrugged. " That guy's a moron."  
" Well, according to Yamato, and it's _the_ Yamato," Yugi made a motion that looked like the Japanese Emperor, " This book is good. And heartbreaking?"  
" Gee, that's new." Anzu blinked. " I never thought Kaiba was capable of making people sympathize. He's such an...unlikable person."  
" Yeah well, according to the comments, it's pretty good." Yugi shrugged, as he went to the stand to talk to the librarian.

  
  
" How did this happen?" Seto blinked. " I never published anything! What are you talking about?"  
" But Mr. Kaiba, the evidence is here." Said the newsreporter, as everyone else agreed, and someone practically shoved the book into his face. Seto Kaiba stepped back, bewildered, and took the book, staring at it. He blinked, flipped through the pages, and looked at the copyright date.

" There must be some mistake..." Kaiba dropped his arrogant act as he looked up with pure confusion. " I think they put the wrong author or something...but...they must have put the wrong author but I definetely remember this paragraph, and..."  
" So you did write it. Tell us, Mr. Kaiba, are the events in that book true?"  
" Look, I really don't know what's going on." The arrogance was back again. " But I'm telling you, whatever questions there are, I have no comments. Who in the world published this? Tokyo Publishing Company? But-"  
" Mr. Kaiba, is it true that-"  
" Mr. Kaiba, the book states that-"  
" Mr. Kaiba, tell us what you thought when-"  
" Alright, stop this." Seto growled. There was a sudden silence.  
" I want all of you off my property, _now_." The young CEO commanded. " Otherwise, I will call the police. Whatever nonsense this is about, I don't want to have any of it. I want you all OUT!"

  
  
" It's clear he's a little disturbed by this news." Said one reporter.  
" It seems he didn't know that the book got published." Said another, sighing.  
" Poor kid."

  
  
" Mokuba, you are getting crafty." Seto glared at his brother. " I know you have something to do with this!" He slammed the book on the table. " Well?"

Mokuba was not afraid of him. " I published it."  
" _You_ published it? And what made you think you had the right to? Actually, don't answer that yet. How did you find it?"  
" When you ' fell asleep' on the stairs." Mokuba answered just as harshly. " I went to get some water for you. Then I stumbled upon the computer and I saw the sentence ' when I was seven and Mokuba was four'. I got you the water. You remember that day, right?"

Seto did. He remembered very clearly, and suddenly he didn't feel like talking about this. One day when he came home he changed and had typed on his computer the remainder of his memoir that he had never planned to ever publish. He was going downstairs to get a drink of water when he suddenly fainted. Mokuba had ran to him full of worry and he woke up as the child was shaking him. He had asked for some warm water to soothe his stomach.

_ I left the computer on._ Seto thought.

" After that I remembered the file name and you went upstairs to continue working on it." Mokuba sniffed. " Sometime later you finished. And then I duplicated that file and saved it on a disk. I put it on my laptop and I read the whole thing." Mokuba's eyes watered up and he sniffed again, this time the tears escaped. " And then I saw that you were looking more and more pale every day and more thin. And one day at dinner you were muttering something in the kitchen. At first I couldn't hear but I went closer and I heard you say that you-" The child broke into sobs. " That you wanted someone to push you up, not step on you, and you were wondering if anyone would do that. And you were sick, and you were...so I thought publishing it would make people understand. You never go for help, so I was hoping that someone might..." Mokuba couldn't go on anymore.

Seto suddenly felt ill and darkness blocked his vision. He sat down and sighed, listening to Mokuba's crying but found he didn't have the strength to go and comfort him.

_ My brother did this for me._ Seto thought to himself. _In the end he's still the one taking care of me._

" Oni-chan!" Mokuba ran to his brother. Seto wrapped his arms around the boy and found that he was beginning to lean on him.

_ Mokuba's right._ Seto thought. _I do need help. If I don't get it soon, I think I'll die..._

  
  
" Now what in the world was I thinking when I borrowed this book?" Noa looked at the object in his hands and tossed it up and down while thinking.

_ Of course, you probably wanted to READ IT?_

Somehow Noa was suddenly reluctant to even begin reading the book. Perhaps afraid of what's in it? He didn't know.

Sighing and deciding he was wasting his time with the matter, Noa flipped open the book.

" When I was born of course I didn't remember anything. But from what my father told me before his death, my birth was lined with misfortune..." 


	2. Chapter 1

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 1

" Chapter 1" 

" When I was born of course I didn't remember anything. But from what my father told me before his death, my birth was lined with misfortune. That day was part of the Dragon Year when a devastating earthquake nearly shattered all of Japan. My father told me that I was the only one, the only child, to survive in that hospital, because my mother, sick and weak as she was, carried me out in her arms just as the hospital lighted on fire and collapsed."

" I don't remember my mother that well. But my father said that she was a beautiful woman. He often said that I had her eyes and her smile, and that if I didn't have my father's pale skin, I would look exactly like her. From my own memories I only remember that she once cradled me when there was a riot outside our house in our neighborhood, and a single sentence that she said to me."

" ' You are my Blue Eyes'"

" Of my father I remember as clearly as if it were yesterday. He was a tall man, straight with broad shoulders. He use to stay quiet and simply meditate all day. His friends tell me my father wasn't always this way. That he use to be cheerful and laughing, always having a witty joke or two up his sleeve. But ever since my mother died giving birth to my brother, Mokuba, he had been quiet and silent, sometimes going out at night and never coming home till morning."

" I was young then. I didn't know what he was doing. Mokuba was just a baby, so I would stand by his crib and watch him. Mokuba looked like my father. He had that dark hair and dark eyes. His hands were my father's. His eyebrows were my father's. There was even a birthmark on his face in the same place my father's birthmark would have been."

" ' What are you laughing at?' I would say to Mokuba. What does a baby find so delightful? What do they dream that makes them smile so? But of course, Mokuba never answered, because he neither understood my question nor was capable of answering."

" ' Son, I'm home!' Otou-san said one day. He was smiling and carrying a bag of groceries. I was five years old that time, and Mokuba was two. I rushed to help him anyway, even though the packages were too heavy for me."

" ' Look, kiddo, I got you your favorite snacks.' Otou-san laughed. I blinked at him. Otou-san never laughed. How did Otou-san know what my favorite snack is? But I look in the packages and I saw it. Sour cream and onion! My favorite! And then I stopped doubting and starting jumping all over him. Mokuba stared at me from his crib."

" ' Arigatou Otou-san! Why did you buy so many chips?' I asked."  
" ' Because today is your birthday!' Otou-san laughed, and then I blinked. He never celebrated my birthday this way. Later I learned that other people never celebrated their birthdays by just eating chips and laughing for five minutes with their father, but that time I didn't know. Otou-san rubbed my head and went upstairs. I ate the chips, and fed Mokuba some too. Then I realized Mokuba had only two teeth, and the chips were too hard for him to chew."

" ' Ha ha, you can't eat this!' I teased, and gobbled up the entire bag of chips. It was by no means small, and of course, I got sick later that afternoon."

  
  
*~*  


  
" The next morning I went out with my father to the park. There were some friends sitting on the swings and I ran to join them. I said, ' I turned five years old yesterday!'"

" ' Really?' My friend Yoku blinked. ' How come you didn't invite me?'"  
" ' Invite you to what?' I asked, completely confused."  
" ' Your party.' My other friend, Shigeru, answered."  
" ' What's a party?' I asked. I didn't know."  
" ' You mean you don't know what a party is?' Yoku cried, shocked. ' It's when you have cake and you play games. And then in the end, you get gifts, and people sing and dance and all that stuff.'"  
" ' Oh. I don't think that I had a party.' I was beginning to feel bad. ' It sounds so fun. Maybe next year, I'll have a big party, and everyone I know will be invited. We'll have a big big chocolate cake!'"  
" ' Yeah!' My friends cried, and we started playing again. After a few hours my father came."  
" ' Son!' He called. ' It's time to go home!'"  
" ' Already?' I asked, unhappy. ' But we just got here!'  
" ' You've been here for an hour already.' My father said. ' And besides, Mokuba needs to be taken care of. Get off the swings.'"

" I obeyed. I felt really bad, and as I waved back to my friends it suddenly occurred to me that they didn't have to leave after playing for one hour. In fact, they're still there on the slides, the swings, the monkey bars, and they were there before me, while I had to go home already."

" Later that night while we were eating I asked my dad if we could have a birthday party."  
" ' A birthday party?' My dad blinked. ' Maybe. But what gave you that idea?'"  
" ' Shigeru says that a party is when you have cake and play games, and have people come and give gifts.' I said. ' I thought it sounded like fun. Onegai? Pretty please?'"

" My dad sighed. ' Alright. You can have your birthday party, but next year.'"

" I suddenly realized that I had mentioned party, but my dad had added the word ' birthday' before the word ' party'. He must have known what a birthday party was all along, and suddenly I felt bad because he never gave me one the day before."

  
  


*~*  
  
  
  


There was a loud thunder crash.

Noa jumped. 

_Kami-sama. That was loud._

" It's raining already?" Noa shrugged. " I thought the guy said that it wasn't going to rain until midnight..." He stared at the clock. Twelve fifteen.

_Never mind._

  
  
" Say, Jou, where are you up to in the book?" Yugi asked the next morning. He was careful not to let Seto hear.  
" I read the first chapter." Jou shrugged. " Didn't seem much of a big deal, really. How 'bout you?"  
" Only read up to the birthday party part." Yugi answered. " I read it pretty late and fell asleep by accident. Can you imagine a five year old Seto Kaiba wanting a birthday party?"  
" Hey, they say nothin's impossible." Jou shrugged. " But personally I think this 's borderin on it."

Yugi looked over to where Seto sat in the library. Taking a deep breath he walked over to the table.

Was it just him, or is Seto Kaiba _sleeping?_

" Uh...Kaiba?" Yugi inquired. Seto's eyes snapped open and he looked up.  
" You okay?" Yugi asked. " Gomen, I didn't mean to wake you, but..."  
" Yeah, I know." Seto didn't move. " Is there something I can do for you, Motou?"

_He's being awfully polite._ Yugi thought. " Iie. Just...wondering if you're okay."  
" I'm alright." Seto nodded, then turned around and ignored him. Yugi backed away uncomfortably. 

_This guy wrote a sentimental book?_

  
  
Seto gave a mental sigh of relief and resisted the urge to close his eyes and sleep again. He felt so tired and dizzy. Why did Motou inquire about him? Couldn't he sleep if he want? 

But if he tried sleeping again, they'll get suspicious. And Mokuba had stated that he looked unhealthy. Appearance, plus the sleeping act...equals?

_But I don't think I can stop falling asleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..._

  
  
" Shigeru and Yoku went to school the same time I did, because we were the same age. I was excited. I wanted to meet new people. Make new friends. The teachers were nice, they sang with us and I was happy in school. So much that I dreaded coming home to that empty and desolate house."

" Mokuba had turned three that year and was more conscious of his surroundings, and I found a new partner. Each day I brought a cookie home for him. He would always complain."

" ' Oni-chan! I want two cookies!'"  
" ' Oni-chan! This one's broken!'"  
" ' Oni-chan! I hate raisin cookies! You know that!'"

" ' Come on Mokuba. If people see that I am taking so many cookies they're going to yell at me.' I said one day to Mokuba. ' Be glad I gave you any cookie at all.'"  
" Mokuba pouted and started crying. Otou-san came running and asked what was going on."  
" ' He yelled at me!' Mokuba sobbed, and my father glared at me with one of those icy glares."  
" ' Seto, remember you're supposed to take care of your brother. As an older brother, you have responsibilities.' He said sternly. ' Now apologize to him, right now.'"  
" I felt unhappy. I didn't yell at him. And besides, it was Mokuba who was complaining too much. I didn't do anything wrong. Why didn't Otou-san yell at him?"  
" ' Seto!' My dad warned. I felt indignant, but I apologized to Mokuba anyway. My dad smiled in approval and went up the stairs. Mokuba smiled in triumph and I went on feeling indignant, but as a child that emotion passed and soon we were playing together again."

" Later that night Otou-san went away again. Mokuba and I were use to it by now and we didn't question where he was going. We weren't really interested either. He might be going to work. He might be going to a movie, like he usually said he was. But that night I suddenly asked him if we could go with him to see the movie."

" He started yelling at me, calling me names, telling me that I wasn't worth his time. I stood there stunned."  
" ' Otou-san, what did I do?' I asked, scared."  
" ' Don't you dare question me!' My father roared, and he grabbed his coat and slammed the door shut. I stood there for a long time looking after him."  
" ' Oni-chan, why is Otou-san mad?' Mokuba asked by my side."  
" ' I don't know.' I said softly."

" Otou-san came home in the morning and we didn't talk about it. But I never asked him whether I could see any movies with him ever again. That time I understood that it was something about my request that angered him and I didn't want to get him mad again. He's scary when he's mad."

" The next morning was a school day and I went to my school. We were playing with building blocks during class when Shigeru asked me if I saw a movie."  
" ' What movie?' I asked. ' I never saw any movie.'"  
" ' You mean you've never seen a movie in your entire life?' Cried one of my friends."

" I blinked, then remembered what happened two nights before. ' Otou-san doesn't like to take me to see movies.' I answered quietly."  
" ' What a wimp.' Said a kid. I blinked."  
" ' My parents take me to see movies every week.' Said Shigeru. ' What's wrong with your daddy anyway?'"

" I started to cry and I didn't feel like playing anymore. Briefly I thought, what _was_ wrong with my daddy?"

" So that night I told my otou-san that other kids see movies. I didn't exactly say that I wanted to, but he got the message."

" Otou-san didn't say a word. Instead, he grabbed his coat and left the house again."

  
  


*~*  
  
  
  


" Two weeks later Mokuba turned four. Otou-san wasn't there to celebrate it, but since it was a school day I was able to sneak two cookies for him. Mokuba was delighted."

" ' Yay! Chocolate chip! My favorite! You're the best, Oni-san!'"  
" I laughed. ' Happy birthday Mokuba!'"  
" Mokuba kissed me on the cheek and went dancing around the living room. I followed him and suddenly a pillow was thrown at me. We started a pillow fight, and then chased each other around, running on the sofa and jumping onto the tables."

" Then Otou-san came home."

" ' What in the world! What's happened here?' Otou-san cried. Mokuba ran laughing to him."  
" ' Otou-san!" He laughed, perhaps expecting a happy birthday from him too, but then stopped dead in his tracks. I looked up to see what was going on. Daddy's face was red with rage."  
" ' You made a huge mess!' Otou-san roared. ' Clean this up, right now!'"

" Mokuba's birthday night was spent cleaning up the living room. Otou-san went out again."

" Several months later my birthday came up. I was turning seven. Just like when I was six years old, or five years old, there were no birthday parties as Otou-san had promised. I was playing with Mokuba, careful not to mess anything or damage anything, when suddenly everything became dark."

" Otou-san was not home. The whole neighborhood was pitch black, not even the streetlamps were on. Mokuba was terrified.

" ' Oni-chan! What happened? Where are you?' He cried, grabbing for me. I held on tightly to him."  
" ' I don't know.' I answered. ' The lights just went out.'"  
" ' Where's Daddy?" Mokuba whimpered. ' Did he come home yet?'"  
" ' Iie.' I answered. ' But I'm sure he'll come home really soon.'"

" There was a loud banging outside and I was too scared to answer the door. The banging went on for a few minutes, before there was a sound of barking dogs. Outside the wind blew against the trees, making them rustle, and the branches hit against the roof. Owls hooted outside and Mokuba and I huddled in the bedroom, trying in vain to turn on the lights."

" ' Why are the lights all out Oni-chan?' Mokuba kept asking me."  
" ' I don't know.' I hated to get my brother scared, but I honestly didn't know. ' Maybe...maybe...' but for all my imagination I couldn't come up with an answer."

" There was a sound of a door slamming. It was my father's bedroom door."  
" ' What was that?!' Mokuba sobbed. ' Is that Otou-san?'"

" I crept silently towards the closed door and opened it quietly. Otou-san wasn't there. Having an idea in mind, I went over to the desk and opened a drawer. It contained a flashlight, but when I tried to turn it on it didn't."

" No batteries? I thought. Perhaps. But I couldn't find the batteries. It was too dark, and they looked like any other round object. I went back to Mokuba and closed the door quietly, silently praying that we will make through this night alive. Where's Otou-san? Why didn't he come back?"

" I fell asleep soon after Mokuba did. We were curled up in his bed. The following morning the sun was shining and things no longer looked so scary. Someone rang the doorbell. I peered through the window and saw a police woman and a man. I opened the door reluctantly."

" ' Are you Seto Yagami?' The woman asked. I nodded mutely."  
" ' Is your brother there?' The man asked. I nodded again."  
" ' Well...Seto...' The woman began uncomfortably. ' We have some...bad news about your father...'"  
" ' What happened to him?' I asked, suddenly feeling a strange and unknown fear. ' Is he okay?'"  
" ' Your father was driving while drunk...' the police woman began. I didn't know what ' drunk' means."  
" ' What is drunk?' I asked."  
" ' Well, he's not in his senses.' The policewoman answered. ' And your father...he got caught in a car accident. He died this morning. We tried to contact you two after we figured out he had children, but...because of the blackout, we didn't know where you are.'"

" I didn't know what a blackout was, but I knew the other night was probably one of them. Then I blinked."  
" ' Otou-san's...dead?'" Mokuba looked at me. I looked at Mokuba. Then I looked at the police officers.  
" ' We're really sorry...' The man said uncomfortably. ' We're here to take you to the orphanage. You have an hour to prepare and pack. Do you want us to help you?'"

" I didn't know why I refused, but I shook my head. ' It's okay...we'll do our own packing...'"

" While I was packing I suddenly realized that we will never see our Daddy again. Daddy will never come home from work or from whatever movie he was watching. And I looked at Mokuba, four years old, crying and sobbing and afraid, and I promised myself I will let nothing happen to him."

" An hour later Mokuba and I came out and we waited for the police car. Mokuba suddenly began to cry again."  
" ' Oni-chan...he's gone. Oni-chan, don't leave me too!'"   
" ' I won't, Mokuba.' I said to him, although I was just as scared. ' I will never leave you.'"

" I planned on keeping that promise. I had no idea how much that would cost."

  
  
" Finished the first chapter." Yugi blinked. " Finally. But that was scary. I can imagine if I were seven and there was a blackout how scared I would be! And it was Seto's birthday too!"  
" Do you think this is all real?" Jou asked. " I mean, it seemed too..."  
" Oh shut up. Why would Kaiba lie about this?" Anzu asked.  
" Yeah, the guy has a life, you know. Unlike you." Honda laughed.  
" Gee," Yugi looked up. " It's still raining pretty hard."  
" Hai." Honda frowned. " With thunder and lightning to add to it."  
" White Lightning!" Jou laughed. The others laughed as well, but they suddenly hushed up as Noa came by.

" Oh, Noa, what are you doing here?" Yami asked, materializing before Yugi. He tried to make it sound as casual as possible.

Noa blinked at the books. Then he turned around.

" Must be at work." He said. The group looked at each other in confusion. Noa didn't look at them. Instead, he walked away.

  
  
Seto sat down rather heavily at a random chair. The secretary smiled sadly at him.  
" Rough day, eh?" She said sympathetically.

Seto noted that the secretaries never spoke to him. Must be that book. He groaned and decided to answer here.  
" It was just a book." Seto rubbed his temples. " I would think they would go crazy over something more dramatic."  
" The book is dramatic." The secretary answered. " There are plenty of stories about orphans, but none from someone as powerful as you."  
" Now that you pointed that out, I wish I wasn't that powerful. Why made me write it on the computer anyway?" Seto muttered. " I could have found something else to ease the pressure. Like drugs, and alcohol, but I figured it would be a bad impression on Mokuba. Everything's for Mokuba."  
" Well, at least doing everything for Mokuba made you do the right thing for yourself." The secretary looked solemn. " But personally, Mr. Kaiba, I'm glad you wrote the book. It makes people understand you better, and judging from how you look these days I'd say you need that understanding. Have you been eating well?"  
" I think I'm sick." Seto answered quite plainly and abruptly, surprising even himself. " I think I'm really really sick, as in systems sick and illness sick, and no matter how well I eat, it's not going to change that."  
" Mr. Kaiba," The secretary got a good look at him. " You-your lips are white!"

Seto looked at her and there was darkness before his vision again. But he got up with all of his waning strength and left as quickly as he could. Even so, the secretary noticed the hunched back and the three white hairs that stood out on Seto's head. 


	3. Chapter 2

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 2

" Chapter 2"

" The orphanage looked decent and well kept, but I knew better."

" Indeed, having spent a whole year in that place I probably know the orphanage as well as all orphans do. We had to do our share of chores, which wasn't bad. There were always visitors, looking around for someone to adopt."

" There was always a sense that we do not belong. Like this was not our home, that was not our room, this was not our bed, or not our clothing, not our shoes, not our food. It always seemed that we were taking someone else's share, someone else's home or food or money. Mokuba and I always looked at that place, that _beautifully_ clean place with a sense of misfitting."

" The orphanage looked decent. There was always enough food to at least keep us from starvation, clothes to keep us warm, and smiling faces."

" But the people who kept the orphanage treated us like dirt."

" I couldn't blame them. Even now, I can't. Because I realized that when you become an orphan, when you have no family, you _are_ dirt to everyone else. No one will support you. They think, you're an orphan. You're already alive, being fed, being clothed. What more should you ask for? Absolutely nothing. You should be thankful that people even bothered paying taxes to raise you! And most of all, they think, you're not _our_ child! Why should we care? We've seen a lot of misery already to cope up with your complaining!"

" It wasn't that they were more cold-hearted than anyone else on this planet. They certainly did hate me more than most orphans. The keepers at the orphanage usually already have their own families, their own children. And they look at me, a boy, with no family, a bastard without a mother, no background, no supporters, just a lone child who happened to exist, and then they look at their own children. Their own children aren't _bastards. _They have a background. They have money. And then they compare me with them and realize I'm smarter than their children."

" Iie! Their children must be smarter than that Seto-bastard! After all, I'm not _their_ child. And all parents wish that their child is the most beautiful, most intelligent, the luckiest person in the world. And then they see me, a competitor. I don't even have parents! Why in the world should I be smarter than their own children? And they become jealous, and envious, and hateful, so as a result they began stepping on my shoulders as I tried to grow, to rise, to learn."

" It first began when I came home from school and was studying for my test. One of the keepers looked over my shoulder and tore the book from my hands. She skimmed through the textbook for a moment, then tossed it into the garbage."

" ' Hey!' I cried. ' What did you do that for?'"  
" ' Why bother studying?' The keeper smirked. ' You're just an orphan. You'll never make anything of yourself. What, are you trying to become the new premiere of Japan? You'll never make it. You're an orphan with no background. Even worse than the Burakumen, who actually do have backgrounds, even if they're serfs and work on cowhides.'"  
" ' That doesn't mean I can't try!' I sniffed, going towards the garbage can to retrieve my textbook. Suddenly, she hit me and I fell back."  
" ' ' that doesn't mean I can't try'. Well! That's good arrogance from someone like you! You know, did it ever occur to you that you are nothing in this world? Don't think that because people want to adopt you because you're so cute or you're so smart that you actually are! You're nothing. You have no family, no friends, no background, no support. There's no one who loves you. So don't even bother trying to study hard. No one will care for you just because you study hard. Because guess what, mister? You're not competent. What can an orphan do? How smart can a little orphan be?' She smirked. ' About as smart as an earthworm! Hahahahaha!'"

" I sniffed and went back towards the garbage can. She sighed, taking the dirty textbook out."

" ' Just like the ragamuffin that you are, searching around the garbage cans. You know only bums do that, don't you? Well! My son would definetely not do that! He'll never be an embarrassment like an orphan would be!' And with that, she tore the textbook, with those strong arms of hers. The keeper was really strong. Then she ripped out all the pages of the book. I could only stand there and watch as the book shattered into tiny pieces and a cover. She brushed her hands off and left me standing there, feeling so bitter and every bit as shattered as the book that now scattered on the ground."

  
" ' You don't need to learn that.' They often said afterwards, or ' You can't do that. You're not competent. My son will be much better than you, so you might as well give up.' Or ' My daughter is definetely going to get a higher score on that. So don't you get any ideas!' Sometimes they say ' Oh, you'll never succeed in _that._ Not because you're not smart. It's just that you're an orphan.'"

" ' I took care that they daren't say a word of what they say to me to my brother. Mokuba probably won't handle that. In fact, it stings me too. I cried a lot at first in that orphanage. At every insult they tossed at me I cry. And the keepers beat me. After all, I shouldn't cry, should I? I'm an orphan. Technically I'm supposed to be dead, but they're kind enough to take me in and waste their money buying food and clothes. I should be grateful. I shouldn't be bawling!"

" So in time I stopped crying. People were wrong. I didn't stop crying because of Gozaburo. I stopped crying at the house for orphans, because they treated me like one. When I stopped crying, they stopped beating me, and in time they stopped openly insulting me. But I knew that they were doing everything they could to push me down so I wouldn't be better than their own children."

" I was a fighter. I fought them off. I stole a chessboard and hid it under my bed. I stole books and read through them. Whatever books there were, textbooks, workbooks. Anything. I took care not to let them know."

" Then there was one orphan who I use to be friends with. His name was Yusuke. He was a year older than I was. One day he caught me working with the textbook and asked if he could borrow it. I lend it to him, telling him where I got it. Later that day the keepers came and beat me. They called me a thief and a murderer. I knew Yusuke somehow gave the secret away."

" So I stopped trusting people. I stopped making friends. I pushed all my companions away. I will be strong. I will not let people push me down. No matter how hard they try."

  
  


*~*  
  
  
  


" One day Gozaburo came."

" I was turning eight in a couple of weeks. Over these times I had refused a great many couples who wanted to adopt me and not Mokuba. So I didn't think Gozaburo will be much different. And besides, I didn't like him. At first glance he seemed menacing, scary. I didn't want to fall prey to that man."

" I was playing chess that time. Gozaburo sat down and asked politely if I wanted to play a game."  
" ' No thank you.' I answered, equally polite. ' I'm sure you'll defeat me.'"  
" ' Come, you're a smart lad.' Gozaburo smiled, and it was a rather strange smile. ' How about this, if I win, I adopt you and your brother. If you win, you can ask from me anything you like.'"

" I actually considered that. For some reason I agreed. We played for two hours and he pulled a strange trick and won. That day he went to talk to the keepers. Then he left."

" The keepers treated me weirdly. I knew they didn't like the fact that they've repressed me so long only to lose me to one of the most powerful men in the world. But they lost me, and that was that. I lost too. I hated Gozaburo. His face looked menacing, but I lost the game and therefore Mokuba and I were doomed to go with him."

" Two weeks later Gozaburo came and drove us to our new home."

" It was huge. I remember coming out of the car and just staring at it. Staring and staring and staring at the thing and I wondered how in the world anything can be so big. Against the mansion my old home looked puny and small. Slowly I followed Gozaburo inside. It looked bigger inside than outside and I looked around amazed, Mokuba scared.

" ' Creb will show you to your rooms.'" Gozaburo said to us. Then he left us, young children, me turning eight in a few days, and Mokuba five years old. We unpacked our things and we were fed. All this time Gozaburo never showed up."

" On my eighth birthday, again there was no one to celebrate it except for my brother. We were pampered and fed like swine ready to be killed for the market. On weekends Gozaburo came home and actually spoke a word or two to us. I thought he actually cared for us and for a while I forgot about my first impression of him and enjoyed my free time and liberty to do what I will."

" And then something occurred to me. Gozaburo never pushed us to work or study hard. He never inquired whether I was well or not, or if I was sick. I began to doubt his affections. My doubts were verified when the next weekday, Mokuba set off for school but Gozaburo held me back."

" ' You don't need to go.' Gozaburo laughed. ' What use would it be for me if you go to school? You might as well stay here and fool around.'"

" I blinked at him. ' Why?' I asked. ' I like going to school.'"  
" ' Oh, liking and not liking.' Gozaburo shook his head. ' You don't need to go to school. You've learned enough for an orphan already.'"

" I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I just heard. ' You can't be serious!' I began. ' I didn't even graduate from my school yet and you're saying I've learned enough already?'"  
" ' Oh, come on, other kids will be rejoicing!' Gozaburo slapped me on the shoulders. ' The fact that they can do whatever they want!'"  
" ' But unlike other kids,' I was getting angry, ' I care about my future.'"  
" ' Future?!' Gozaburo sputtered. ' You-' he started to laugh and snort, ' think-you have-a future? You? An orphan?!' Then he started laughing as if this idea was preposterous."  
" ' Why? Is there something wrong with this idea?' I asked angrily."  
" ' Ah, Seto, Seto. Why bother studying? Because you see, your future is already planned out, whether you like it or not.' Gozaburo got the better of his mirth. ' So even if you study your best you won't escape your destiny.'"

" I was fooled for a moment, in fact, for a whole day. Because that day I didn't go to school, but stayed at home like he asked and did all the nonsense I could think of. And then suddenly, late at night, before Gozaburo came home from work, I turned on the computer and accidentally stumbled upon a file."

" It was talking about someone named Noa Kaiba. It listed his statistics, and it matched the green haired boy in the picture frame next to the computer. Then it listed my statistics and oddly enough they nearly matched. Then I stumbled upon another file."

" It's hard to tell how I knew, but I did. I realized that Noa Kaiba was dead, but Gozaburo inserted his thoughts into a virtual world. At first I didn't know how this affects me, but then there were clear words that seem to ring as loud as a thunderstorm."

" ' PROJECT SLD14: INSERTING SUBJECT 401 INTO SUBJECT 602 WITH THE VSDLE.'"

" At first I did not comprehend, but when I looked back to the previous files, just as Gozaburo came home, I found that Noa Kaiba was Subject 401 and I was Subject 602. And that was all I needed to piece things together."

" The next morning I prepared to go to school. Gozaburo stopped me again."

" ' I thought I had this conversation with you.' Gozaburo blinked. ' You shouldn't go to school.'"  
" ' I want to go to school.' I answered."  
" ' Well boy, you can't. That's final.'"  
" ' Nani? I can't? You never said that yesterday!' I cried."  
" ' Well yesterday you weren't as stubborn.' Gozaburo looked at me straight in the eye. ' But today you are, so I am telling you. You will not go to school.'"  
" ' Not if I can help it! I'm not going to sit here and become more and more idiotic just because you want to insert your dead son into my head!' I screamed before I knew what I was saying. Gozaburo stepped back as if I hit him and then his eyes narrowed dangerously."  
" ' How did you know that?' He demanded, coming forward and grabbing me by the collar. ' Spit it out, boy!'"  
" ' You had it on the computer, you bastard!' I screamed. ' I am not going to serve as some empty shell for a dead person! You're not going to ruin my future this way! I'm not going to sit around and let you!'"  
" ' Oh?' And with that, Gozaburo threw me to the wall. I cried out in pain. Gozaburo then smiled one of those sadistic smiles of his."  
" ' You honestly think that going to school will change that?' Gozaburo laughed. ' It's not worth it, little Seto. You're not going to school and that's final, and in the future, when you're old enough and the VSDLE is finished, I'm going to get my son back and you'll be...somewhere.'"  
" ' Iie.' I growled, and before anyone could stop me I ran out of the mansion. The guards chased me but I hid behind a tree and I cried for the last time in my life. I cried because Gozaburo will ruin my future and I could do nothing to stop him. He wouldn't let me go to school because in the end no company would want me, but the companies would want Noa. Noa, the one that's supposed to be dead, will be alive again. And the frightening thing was that no one will miss me when I'm gone because I had no one. No father, no mother, just me, alone, trying my best to fight a losing battle against the world."

  
  
Noa shut the book.

Well...that was an interesting newsflash. Gozaburo not letting Seto go to school because he was going to serve as a vessel? 

_Otou-san's crazy._ Noa thought, almost impassively. But there was a strange ache in his heart.

What's with that ache? And he felt like throwing something. That never happened before.

Well, now he could see why the title is the way it is!

_I need to pay Seto Kaiba a visit._ Noa thought, as he stood up and headed towards the limo.

  
  
Noa found Seto Kaiba in a rather odd position. The Great Seto Kaiba, normally rather proud and tall, was crouching next to the wall holding his head.

" Seto?" Noa usually called Seto Kaiba Seto because he would never admit Seto was a " Kaiba". " This is odd. I'd never imagine you would be crouching like that. What's wrong? Someone kicked you?"  
" Not funny Noa." Seto didn't even turn around or make any move to stand up. " Not now, go away, you're too loud..."  
" Too loud?" Noa was incredulous. " What happened, your eardrums got thinner?"  
" Noa," Seto tried to stand but it seemed there was a dizzy spell and he had to crouch down again. " Noa, do me a favor. Just go. I'm not in the mood for bickering with you right now."  
" Oh I can see that." Noa answered. " I'm not in the mood for bickering either. I came in regards of that book you published."  
" Oh, arigatou," Seto answered, leaning against the wall. He was now sitting there with his arms around his knees. " I'm sure I know already how you feel. Me insulting your ' wonderful father'."  
" What made you think that? Seto? Why are you lips white?" Noa blinked. " Iie, don't tell me...you got..."  
" What did I get?" Seto opened his eyes and stared at Noa. " What are you saying?"

Noa whirled around and fled. Thoughts ran all over the place. Could Seto have gotten it? But he usually looked so healthy. But why else would his lips be white? Why else would he be crouching near the wall, having a dizzy spell every time he stood up?

Suddenly, Noa stopped. Then he slapped his forehead with his palm.

_Genius, you could have helped him, you twit!_

Noa started walking back. _Seto has it. I know it. He doesn't know it, but I know. Lips white, cheeks ashen, dizzy spells, the inability to bicker. Hell strike me if I'm wrong!_

Noa stopped. Seto had dropped his cell phone. But Seto himself was not there.

  
  
" Kuso, that was depressing." Jou muttered. " Only up to the second chapter and already I'm feeling sorry for him."  
" Hai, me too." Yugi agreed. " Can't believe Gozaburo wouldn't let him go to school. That's so sick!"  
" Kind of explains why Seto's so good in school." Jou agreed. " After all, he had a tough fight. But I wonder how he won?"  
" Probably tells you in the next chapter." Yugi answered. " Oops, gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, hai?"  
" You got it Yug." Jou clicked his tongue. " Ja."  
" Ja." Yugi hung up. He turned around and fingered the pages of the book. Yami was on the other side of the bed.

" Yugi, I honestly don't think Seto Kaiba wanted to publish this." Yami began.  
" So?" Yugi answered. " He did. I guess it's too late to go back now."  
" It just doesn't seem like Kaiba to just publish his life's story." Yami began. " I think someone published this on purpose. Sure, Seto might of wrote it, but someone else published it. Or even worse."

  
  
" I...what is this?" Seto sighed. " Listen, I...ooooh deear," He lowered his head to the desk. The news reporters suddenly fell silent. Seto let his head remain on the desk until the dizzy spell was over and then lifted his head.  
" I don't think these are worthwhile questions." He said before another dizzy spell took over.  
" Everyone, get out." Said one of the business officials. " Mr. Kaiba does not need all of you to bother him. Get out, now."

Silently Seto thanked the official, whoever it was, but he was too dizzy to care.

" Mr. Kaiba?" A voice began. It was the same man. " Are you alright? Perhaps you should go hom and get some rest."

Seto didn't answer. He was feeling nauseous, and he had a feeling that if he spoke he would throw up on the man. 


	4. Chapter 3

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 3

_Of all places they had to interrupt us during a meeting._ Seto found the strength to think as he felt the hands massage the points at his neck and the whispers of other CEO's go on. _And of all places I had to show my weakness...what's wrong with me anyway?_

" Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Yaguchi, perhaps you should call the hospital. Mr. Kaiba looks seriously ill."  
" Iie," Seto whispered, " No hospital. No hospital. I'm fine, I-" But it was a weak argument because the man was still soothing his neck and he was feeling dizzy and weak. He stood up, shrugging the hand off tried to move, but then darkness took hold of him, sudden and abrupt darkness that he didn't even have a chance to fall before he's out.

  
  
" Chapter 3"

" I walked along the park road without any sense of direction. The guards had long since lost me and I was able to walk with a relative feeling of relief. But deep inside I felt bitterness. Everyone else gets to go to school. School prepares them for their future. At least other people have a chance to create their own future for themselves. Me, Gozaburo wouldn't even let me try."

" As I walked I came up to one of my teachers, whose name was Tamagito Mimi. She was carrying some bags of groceries and when she saw me she greeted me, but I didn't see her. She probably noticed that I was crying so she took no offense."

" ' Seto, what's wrong?' She asked me."  
" ' Gozaburo won't let me go to school.' I blurted out before I could stop myself. But suddenly I didn't really care what she thought."

" At first she seemed surprise and almost disbelieving, but I was never the one to tell jokes, especially on these things."

" ' Why?' She finally asked, afraid to fall into some kind of trap. As if I would suddenly laugh and say, ' Ha! Got you on that one!'"  
" I shrugged. ' He said I was an orphan.' I muttered. ' That I have no future anyway, so why prepare for it?'"  
" ' Well don't you think that.' My teacher said kindly. ' You are a smart child. And there's a reason why every one of us is alive. As long as we're alive and we can command our own thoughts, we can make our own future. No matter what. So now dry your eyes and go home. I'll excuse you for today and yesterday. Leave it all up to me.'"

" So it was that I went back. I was reluctant to, but the guards found me because I let them and they dragged me back. I briefly wondered how my teacher would take care of my situation. Gozaburo didn't yell at me. He wasn't even there. But the guards locked me up in my room all day and I didn't get a bite to eat. Later Mokuba came home and wanted to see me but the guards were outside my door."

" The next morning I packed to get ready for school. This time Gozaburo didn't stop me. The guards let me past. I was cautious. There's no telling what the man has up his sleeve, but I went to school unmobbed and I came home just as safely. Gozaburo was at work again and I did my homework, studied, and spent the rest of my time with Mokuba."

" Later I learned that the teacher had strong family connections with a powerful business official, who he was I had no idea. But whoever the CEO was, he talked with my foster father. I could only assume that the CEO had threatened Gozaburo, because my foster father was not someone who would change his mind simply because someone asked him to. So to Takenito Mimi I owed everything I have now, and to the CEO who had disappeared from the records I owe my freedom as well."

" My brother never knew of this incident. He never knew that the ' Great Seto Kaiba' was nearly deprived of education. Nearly deprived of a future, all because he lost that one chess game."

  
  
" Call the ambulence!" The boss cried, laying Seto down on the ground. " Call the ambulence!"

There was chaos everywhere. Someone ran to get a cup of warm water and another ran to get a cup of cold water. Another CEO went to call the ambulence and another shooed off all employees.

The men rushed into the building carrying a stretcher. Seto never woke. The men lifted him onto the stretcher and hurried down the elevator to the outdoors. There were many people gathering, all watching in worry as the doors closed and the ambulence drove off.

One CEO had remained on the ambulence as Seto's guardian. People looked after the vehicle with whispers and frowns. After the publishing of the book, no one wanted the CEO to die. Gradually, the crowd dispersed, though reluctantly. Some cars began driving towards the nearest hospital.

  
  
" Seto Kaiba fainted at a meeting?" Jou blinked. " Look at the headlines! What kind of nonsense is that?"  
" The Duke Van Hospital requests type R- blood for Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corps, who is _currently suffering from anemia?_" Honda read. " The young CEO is obviously ill for some time as there was lower than twenty percent red blood cells in his system?"  
" What's type R- blood?" Anzu asked. " Wait, this one here says R+."  
" God, this newspaper is stupid." Ryou sighed. " I forgot which one it was, but one of those two includes the ABO blood types, and the other one is quite rare. How come Mokuba didn't have that?"  
" Oh Kami-sama!" Yugi cried. " That's how Mokuba's mother died! Because Mokuba had a different R type, and those two mingled. But wait, it doesn't make sense. Mokuba should have died...not his mother..."

The others looked at Yugi and Ryou in confusion.

" Okay. Let me ask this again." Anzu began. " What's R type?"  
" Uhhh...you'll learn that in biology..." Yugi began.  
" Hai..." Ryou laughed nervously. " But still, this blood type is rare..."

  
  
" In my school I was the best. The best out of the best. I never got below a hundred on my tests."

" Gozaburo was less than happy. He wanted me to stay idiotic that way I wouldn't be smarter than his own son. Again, I was an outsider. I was not _his_ child. He was just ' kind' enough to adopt me and ' save my life'. Even if, in the end, I repay by letting him destroy it."

" I went to school without a sense of purpose really. The victory was small. I wondered how I was going to escape my fate. Escape losing my thoughts to someone I didn't even know. Noa Kaiba. Gozaburo's own child. And I sometimes laughed on my way home, thinking that the only reason Gozaburo adopted me was because he wanted me as a vessel for his own deceased son. I would have been better off with everyone else that had offered to adopt me."

" I was Seto Yagami. It didn't matter that other people spat at me and called me an orphan and detested me while secretly being jealous because I was better than they are. I was Seto Yagami, and I was intelligent. I had a will. I had promise. And I fall into the hands of this sadistic man in the end when I could have led a much better life."

" All for Mokuba. All for Mokuba. I refused all that I could all for Mokuba."

" Even so, I wanted to prove that even though I'm an orphan, I'm still as good as everyone else. So I studied hard. I scored well on tests."

" When I turned ten, I stole several books from Gozaburo's library. They were on technology, and I was immediately fascinated. Gozaburo never knew, and neither did Mokuba. I memorized the entire book. And days after I stole the books I made my first machine."

" It was a simple computer. One that every other company now makes. But for me it was a great accomplishment because I had to steal so many materials underneath my foster father's nose. And to find time to work...that proved even harder, because always there was a maid peeking in, asking if I ' needed anything' or bringing in more bedsheets."

" In the end, Gozaburo found the computer. He was certain I made it, but he didn't know how it was possible. By then I returned the books to his library and played innocent, saying that I knew how to make it all along. He asked me to make another computer, just to make sure I wasn't lying. I did it without a problem. I memorized the book."

" ' Well,' Gozaburo began at last, after seeing my accomplishment. I looked into his eyes and realized he was stunned and shakened by my display of ability. ' This is good work.' He fell silent."

" I waited for him to continue."

" ' Now go to bed. I have work to do.' Gozaburo turned around and left. I watched him go. Inside I knew that he didn't leave because he had work."

" And then came the case of high school."

" I could have gone to high school when I was eleven. I could have. My grades were so good I had skipped plenty of grades and had graduated from junior high school already. But the issue now was that this time it's no longer just wasting time. It's about wasting money. Because everyone knows, as long as you're in Japan, you need to pay your high school tuition."

" Once again, Gozaburo didn't want me to go."  
" ' What's the use?' he laughed. ' You're not going to make anything out of this. By the time your fifteen you would be Noa Kaiba. You can't escape this, no matter how 'well' you do in school, because I'm telling you, my son will be much better than you'll ever be.'"

" I was use to this kind of promise. It was an empty promise. Who can score better than a full score, extra credit and bonus points all counted? But I wasn't interested in his promise. I was interested in going to high school. I wanted to make myself someone before I become no one."

" ' I don't care about your son.' I began, very slowly, using all of my techniques to intimidate him. ' I care not about your son, or you, or what happens between you two. I care about my future and Mokuba's. Right now, I am not concerned about what you will do to me when you finish with the VSDLE. My future that I am seeing is _me going to high school._ You are going to let me take that entrance exam, no questions asked. Do you understand?'"

" Gozaburo was unnerved. I could tell that I frightened him, and I decided to push on before the affect wears off."

" ' This little orphan wants to take a test.' I began. ' Are you scared to let him take one? Are you scared because you're afraid some little ragamuffin would score better than your son ever will? Is that it, ' Otou-san'? Are you afraid of me?'"  
" ' Nonsense!' Gozaburo slammed the table. ' Why should I be afraid of a nameless being like you?'"  
" ' Then let me take the test.' I answered. ' Let me attend high school. It certainly wouldn't change anything with the VSDLE. And it certainly wouldn't change what you've planned for your _dear son._'"

" Gozaburo laughed but he knew he lost. To refuse me would mean to admit cowardice and that he would not do. So I took the entrance exam."

" At first Gozaburo wasn't very worried. He saw my face when I stepped out from the testing buildings. I was almost fainting. I was concentrating so hard I nearly passed out. Gozaburo misread it as nervousness."

" ' See?' He taunted. ' I told you. No use exhausting yourself over something that you have no control over. Still blindly searching for a way out, eh?'"

" I said nothing to him. There was nothing to say. He drove me home, pleased with himself. Mokuba knew nothing of what happened and I was glad he knew nothing."

" And then, the results were mailed. Gozaburo refused to show me what I got."  
" ' Why do you want to bother? You know you got a bad score anyway.' He sneered."  
" ' If I got a bad score, the last time I remembered, you would be jumping to show me to express your triumph.' I answered, then I smiled. ' I got a good score, didn't I, Gozaburo-sama? In fact, I have a hunch that I'm one of the best! So why don't you just hand over the envelope. Don't be a coward.'"

" Gozaburo hated being called a coward and I used that against him. I used it too far. He jumped up and hit me in the head, and kicked me in the stomach."  
" ' Don't you dare say that, boy!' Gozaburo roared. ' No one, especially not an orphan or a nameless bastard, speaks to me that way. Do you understand?'"

" But I accomplished what I wanted. I got the envelope and saw my score. I was the best. I had the full score. I was so ecstatic I lost control and I showed it off to my brother."

" That gave Gozaburo ideas. He came to me that same night with a smile that showed he had something bad in mind."  
" ' Come Seto.' He said, almost sweetly. ' Here, I'll make you a deal. You go to high school, and Mokuba will stop going to school. Or, you can let Mokuba go to school, and you stay home like a good boy."

" I was horrified. I could never imagine that Gozaburo would pull a prank like that. It came so unexpectantly that I couldn't shoot back. I sat there stunned. Should I sacrifice Mokuba's future for my own? Or should I sacrifice my future for Mokuba's? I had a promise. I made myself a promise. I wanted to prove I am someone before I become no one. Am I willing to break that?"

" Gozaburo gave me a night to think over it. And I did, long and hard. Then I decided that my future, which would not be long, was not as important as Mokuba's. So that night I woke Mokuba up."

" ' What's wrong, Oni-chan?' Mokuba asked."  
" ' Mokuba,' I began, ' I need you to promise me something.'"  
" ' Hai?'"  
" ' You need to promise me that you will become someone special. That you will become someone great, no matter what happens to me, and whatever I fail to become, you will become. Do you understand that?'"  
" ' But Oni-chan, you're so smart. How can you fail to become-'"  
" ' Just promise me that.' I said desperately. ' Promise me.'"  
" ' I promise.'"

" With that, I threw away my education."

  
  
" Who donated the blood?" Jou asked, looking at the newspaper.  
" That's where I'm getting to." Honda answered. " Noa! Noa donated blood to Seto Kaiba? He has that...R whatever type blood?"   
" Whew, I think he just saved Seto Kaiba's life." Ryou laughed. " Guess the guy did come around after all, eh?"  
" Looks like the guy's not as bad as we thought." Yugi looked at Ryou. " Despite the fact that Gozaburo wanted to insert Noa into Seto."  
" Ulgh," Anzu shuddered. " Don't even say that name..."  
" Come on, why don't we give the guy a visit?" Jou laughed.  
" What, and listen to him call you ' mutt'?" Honda joked.  
" I'll cope with that." Jou sniffed. The group made their way over to the hospital.

  
  
" Where am I?" Seto nearly screamed if he had the energy. A hand rested against his and he turned his head.  
" Noa..." A flash of fear appeared on the boy's face before he sighed and closed his eyes. Being nervous wouldn't save him.  
" I'm not here to hurt you." Noa said quietly. _Especially not after finishing that book._ " You fainted because of anemia. You have a rare blood type, Seto."  
" Oh." Seto didn't know. " What blood type was it?"  
" R-" 

Seto gaped at Noa. " No way..."  
" Hai. The hospital was desperate to find anyone with that blood type."  
" I guess they succeeded. Who was it?"

Noa was silent.

" You?" Seto's voice got very shrill. " _You donated blood to me?!"_  
" Relax." Noa answered. " I didn't do it because I wanted _anything from you._"  
" Then why did you do it?" Seto coughed. He coughed again, and then he fell into a coughing fit.

Noa soothed the boy. " Don't talk too much. The doctors didn't give you a lot of blood because they had to drain away all your other blood so you wouldn't have high blood pressure. You're still accomodating."  
" Why did you do it?" Seto asked again, a bit calmer now.

Noa was silent for a while. " I read the book."  
" Gee, a digitized dead guy actually became sentimental over a book that _I never meant to publish._" Seto said bitterly, trying to let his brother hear, wherever Mokuba was.  
" Oh, is that the way you thank your savior?"  
" Thank?" Seto choked. " Please. It was because of you that I suffered all these years, in case you forgot from _the book._"  
" I wasn't the one that caused your misfortunes. Gozaburo was. If Gozaburo was the one that donated blood, snap at him all you want." Noa stood up. " Remember, I can do what I want with you here. Sure, I might go to jail, but it'll be worth it. And what would poor Mokuba do without his brother?"

Seto paled and he looked at Noa in silence. The other boy sighed and sat down.

" Gomen nasai." Noa said uncomfortably. He never apologized before. " I didn't mean to scare you. I just lost my temper."

Seto studied him for a long while and closed his eyes.  
" I'll leave you to rest now." Noa stood up. Just then, the door opened.  
" Hey Noa!" Yugi grinned, " How are ya? We heard from the news that you donated blood."

Noa suddenly transformed to something much more cold and aloof. He ignored Yugi-tachi and left.

Yugi blinked. " That was uncalled for." He turned to Seto. " Hey! Say, we haven't heard much from Mokuba recently. But he's with some other business official, it says on the news. I think the hospital nurse said that they're going to come over soon."  
" Oh." Seto blinked, confused. Yugi went over and took the boy's hands within his own.  
" How're ya feelin?" Jou asked.

Seto didn't know whether to yell at Jou or just answer him nicely. He sighed.  
" Tired. Mutt."  
" Ye jus' had to add that, didn' cha," Jou sniffed, but he was smiling. Seto was smiling too.  
" It lightens up my mood." Seto smiled as Jou slapped his shoulder.  
" You're still a little pale. What did the docs say?" Honda asked.  
" I don't know." Seto answered. " I just woke up a few minutes ago. I can't remember what happened. Noa mentioned I had R- blood. That's odd. I always thought I had type B."  
" Heh, you wish." Ryou laughed. " The whole hospital was practically screaming for someone with R-blood to come. Speaking of which, what's type R- blood?"

The others ignored him.

" Odd. It turned out to be Noa. Not Mokuba." Seto blinked. " Why is that?"  
" I think because Mokuba had type AB." Yugi answered. " He's an R+."  
" Alright." Seto answered. " And where did Noa get his from?"  
" Don't know."  
" How long was I out?" Seto suddenly asked.  
" Couple of days." Jou answered. " You fainted in a meeting. Gee, I thought you were tougher than that, Seto!"  
" Oh thanks a lot. That makes me feel so flattered." Seto answered sarcastically. The group laughed.

The door opened and the doctor came in. " It's good to see you're awake, Mr. Kaiba." He began. " How are you feeling?"  
" Tired. Dizzy. But other than that, I'm fine." Seto smiled. He rarely smiled, but after everything that happened, he was too tired not to. " These losers here are enough to make any patient forget anything."  
" Hey!" Honda cried, and the doctor chuckled.  
" I have good news and bad news." He said directly to the patient. " The good news is, you're getting better, and you're not in the ' danger zone' anymore. The bad news is...apparently you've been anemic for a long time, so some of your brain cells..."  
" Oh..." Seto's face became even paler. " So...what will happen?"  
" Well, from what we could tell, none of your coordination seems to have been affected. Therefore a big possibility is that your thinking abilities may not be as great as before. You'll occasionally get some memory losses at times, and have constant headaches. There's also a chance of..."  
" Stroke?" Jou asked.  
" Iie." Seto knew what the doctor was saying. " Stroke is when your vessel pops. He's talking about another one."  
" What other one?" Honda asked. But the doctor and patient ignored him.

Mokuba entered and jumped onto his brother. Seto smiled and looked at his brother fondly. There was a silent connection, and suddenly Mokuba hugged his brother hard. There was again silence.

" What happened?" Jou asked.  
" Seto made Mokuba promise again." Yugi answered. 


	5. Chapter 4

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 4

" Chapter 5"

" I stayed at home like Gozaburo had always wanted. Mokuba thought I went to school. He never knew what was going on between Gozaburo and me."

" But in reality it didn't really matter that I stopped going to school. I had the knowledge. I began stealing books again. The only thing that had affected me was my social skills."

" I soon forgot how to deal with people. Before, going to school was an escape route. I had many friends. I hung out with them during lunch. It was in school that Gozaburo had no control over what I do and how I think. But I came home and stayed home and Gozaburo broke off all connections. I couldn't even call my friends."

" The full impact of my decision hit me one day when Gozaburo took me out for the first time to his building. The VSDLE was nearly finished, faster than Gozaburo had expected, because he thought that I would be at least fifteen when Noa would come back. Instead, I was but twelve, having passed my birthday three months ago, and Gozaburo wanted to know if the VSDLE could at least remove my thoughts at this stage. If not, he would modify it. If so, he would continue the project."

" The limo ran over something sharp and two tires went flat. I was slightly carsick, and Gozaburo didn't want me to dirty the car, so he allowed me to step out. I was standing there, breathing in the fresh air to calm myself, when I saw a large group of children. They were all my friends, all older than me, and when they spotted me they shouted and waved."

" I forgot to wave. I forgot to call. I forgot to respond."

" After a half a year of staying at home with Gozaburo I had forgotten how to deal with people. I just looked at them. I remember the students stopped waving and silented uncomfortably. They knew I saw them. They couldn't understand why I didn't greet them back. Then before my eyes I saw them walk away, embarrassed."

" I went back into the car and we drove to Kaiba Corps. Gozaburo was unexpectedly called to one of the departments and I was left alone. I slipped away underneath the guards' nose and while they were looking for me I ran up the stairs and opened a random door. I shut it and locked it before the guards knew what I did."

" When I turned around I saw a huge machine, like one of those science-fiction TV shows where there was a chamber for an individual to stand in. On the metal door there were bright painted white letters spelling ' V S D L E' and a great many wires tangling up to the ceiling."

" I destroyed as many of the wires as I could with a sharp knife I found in one of the desk drawers. It was probably lucky of me that the machine wasn't turned on. The nails I unscrewed and I opened to the inside of the machine and took out everything that was in it and destroyed them all by smashing them to the ground and scattering them on the floor. Then I realized that I would only postpone my fate this way, because Gozaburo has the file and he could always remake it. So I searched for the computers."

" Naturally, Gozaburo was no fool, and no one would save a file in a computer. I found absolutely nothing, and the guards were coming this way. I opened up the desk drawers and broke all the disks that I could find. I smudged and cut at the disks desperately, hoping that one of those disks had the file."

" Then it occurred to me that perhaps Gozaburo would have it in his office, after all, this was his own personal project. So I was about to turn to the door."

" ' Open up!' It was Gozaburo himself, banging on the door. " Open up, you little bastard! Don't you dare get any ideas! When this is through I'll have my way with you!'"

" I wasn't about to open that door. But how else was I supposed to get out? Then I looked toward the window. I might die this way, but I felt dying was better than what Gozaburo had in mind. I opened the window and swung out. Above there was a dent where I could find a hold, and there were pipes sticking out. I swung my body up to the upper window. I went through and ran towards the door, opening it, and went up the stairs. The guards burst into the room with the VSDLE and found out what I had done. They also realized I was no longer there, and that the window was open. I knew I had no time to waste so I hurried towards the top floor of the building. My legs were strained and tired and it took all of my willpower to make that last step. I was in Gozaburo's office. But Gozaburo was already there."

  
  
" Are you listening to me?" Noa was excited. That didn't make sense. Noa Kaiba was never excited. So what made him so...ecstatic?  
" Gomen?" Taichi blinked, staring at the other CEO. " I missed what you just said."  
" Of course you did. I searched Kaiba's files. He was working on a machine that made a coacervate create DNA!"  
" A machine that made coacervates create DNA?" Taichi blinked. " What kind of nonsense is that? How is that possible?"  
" Look." Noa began. " We both know Seto Kaiba's intelligent. We both know that Kaiba suffered from anemia, hence, he'll be a lot less intelligent than before. Do you want to help him?"  
" Hai, I want to help him, but I don't understand. Let me get this straight. You're saying that Seto Kaiba already has a plan for some machine that can make a dead thing an organism?"  
" Hai."  
" How's that possible?"  
" Look," Noa clicked the mouse. " Wow, Seto Kaiba has a lot of files." He clicked a particular file.  
" First of all, the basic biology. What does each living organism have?"  
" Four macromolecules."  
" Which are?"  
" Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, Mr. Kaiba, what's-"  
" Exactly. What do you think made these proteins and all those other things?"  
" Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon."  
" What the machine does," Noa continued, " Is that it takes the basic molecules and form them into monosaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol, and nucleotides."  
" Hai?"  
" It builds up a sequence of RNA or DNA according to the structure of wherever it was in. Then it somehow adds to the sequence some codons for the RNA and wa la, you have a living organism."  
" I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba. I'm not the top student in biology. But if you say so."  
" Look, don't you see? We might be able to save Seto Kaiba! I mean, the doctors say that they don't know the extent of the damage to his brain caused by lack of oxygen during his illness. If this machine can somehow bring the dead cells back to life, not only would it save lots of people, ( not that we care) but Seto Kaiba will be back to before, and he'll win the Nobel Prize perhaps."  
" We could always keep this a secret."  
" Why?"  
" Because think about it. If Seto Kaiba gets this on the market and patents this, we'll all be dead."  
" The companies, you mean."

There was a silence.

" More stepping on Seto. Why am I not surprised." Noa muttered.  
" Fine, we'll give him a boost, this time." Taichi said uncomfortably. " Although I think later we'll regret it."

  
  
" ' Ah, my boy.' Gozaburo smiled. It was a menacing smile, the smile he always saved just for me. ' I trust you had a tour of the building?'"

" I remained silent. What could I do? Gozaburo was four times my age. I can't fight him. I can't try to outwit him. So I stood silent and without him noticing I surveyed the room around me. The guards were at the door, so I couldn't escape that way. Gozaburo was standing in front of the window, so I couldn't escape that way either."

" ' My guards tell me you've introduced yourself to the VSDLE.' Gozaburo went on. ' And greeted it with quite a way.'"  
" ' Hai, it's interesting how nice the machine was.' I answered. ' Didn't do a thing to me.'"

" Gozaburo's eyes flashed. He looked over to me. ' You didn't accomplish anything,' he said, ' Nothing at all, my boy. You see, destroying the machine merely postponed your fate. Perhaps you'll have to wait till...say, you're sixteen, before you will be gone. They all say you're smart. But I see that you're just as foolish as your little brother. Only Mokuba would assume that would be enough. Correction, only Mokuba _and_ you.'"

" I only smiled. The window. Of course. No matter how strong he was, Gozaburo can't avoid it. Not as long as he stands just mere centimeters away from the glass. I was light and I can jump on top of the desk and push him. I probably would go over, but I'd still kill Gozaburo. And that was enough."

" As long as Gozaburo's alive I'm doomed. It didn't matter if I really destroyed his files. Gozaburo probably had the project already planned out in that sick mind of his. I saw my chance. I can do the threatening now."

" Pushing the desk I silently edged it towards Gozaburo. The desk was heavy and it scraped against the carpet. Gozaburo was still talking but I wasn't listening. I was planning on pinning him to the window as long as his back was turned. That way I can save myself. Save myself. It was all that mattered."

" When Gozaburo turned around it was already too late. I had him trapped. He stared at me for a moment before a look of realization passed over his face."

" ' Of course. _They _were the ones who said I was smart.' I answered. ' _I _never said such a thing. But no matter how foolhardy I am, we both know that one push can send you through the window. Send you crashing to your death. Would you like that? The great Gozaburo Kaiba, died because he was stupid enough to fall through the window?' I saw Gozaburo pale with rage. ' Because guess what, that's what it will appear in public.'"

" I made no move, but I saw that Gozaburo was beginning to breath heavily. I went on."

" ' You went to that orphanage,' I said, so softly I couldn't hear even myself, ' to adopt me. You went to that orphanage to get some nameless bastard to serve as a vessel for your own pathetic son. Did you forget that I also have a mind? Did you forget that I also have feelings? Sure, I may be an orphan. My mother died when I was three and my father died when I was seven. But my name is Seto, not ' boy', and I certainly will not be a Kaiba no matter what people call me. I will never turn out like _you_, a coward, and I certainly will not be crushed like you are now.'"

" Gozaburo's face was red. He was angry, but he was also afraid, because I was on the table and I was ready to push him."

" ' _I hate you.' _I said. And it was scary because I really did hate him. I really did hate him for all the pranks and misfortunes he had caused upon me. I hated him because he used me like some regular tool. I hated him because he always thought of me as a _thing_."

" But I didn't even have to raise my hand. Gozaburo collapsed on the carpet, and I was surprised. There was a sudden stench and Gozaburo's eyes rolled back to their sockets and the eyelids fell closed. I stared at the corpse in disbelief and pushed the desk back to get a better look at him."

" He was dead. I didn't understand. It couldn't have been because I threatened him. How did he die so suddenly? Was it because he was truly scared? Gozaburo was never scared. Then why? Why did he die like that?"

" I stood there beside his body, looking at him. Suddenly, the door burst open and the guards ran into me. My foot kicked at Gozaburo's side and he rolled over and the glass shattered under the force. I stared down as he fell in horror. Before he might still have a chance at life, but now, nothing could save him."

" The guards fled downstairs. I remained at the window. The guard had pushed me, so he was the one that had caused Gozaburo to fall out through the window. But I was still shakened. What just happened?"

" I saw people crowding around his body. For a long time I watched and stared. I thought of the son that would never come back to life again and I felt guilt. Gozaburo was a good father. He did everything in his brainpower to recover his deceased son. There was no reason for him to love me, I'm not his son. And I could easily understand why he treated me like a thing. He was jealous of me, like everyone else. He looked at me, healthy, alive, with a chance at success and a future, while his own son rotted under the earth in a wooden coffin. I survived when my parents died, and Noa was the one that left his father to pass on to a new world. And every time Gozaburo looked at me he would wonder why I survived and Noa didn't. Wouldn't it be the same if Noa survived and I died? Noa was the son of Gozaburo Kaiba. He was going to take over Kaiba Corps when Gozaburo dies. I'm just a nameless bastard that happened to look like him. And Gozaburo mused over this for so long, wanting to find the reason why this happened the way it did. And he came to the conclusion that Noa died so I could survive. So in return, I must die for Noa in thanks."

" I forgave Gozaburo. But inside I felt deep bitterness. I wondered if I died whether anyone would go crazy and find a human vessel to insert _me_ in so I could continue living. I wondered if anyone could ever care for me like Gozaburo cared for his son. I wondered if I was anyone's hope and future, like Noa was to Gozaburo. I wondered if anyone would care if I died. I was just an orphan. My real father didn't even care about me. He wouldn't care if I got run over by a car. How could Gozaburo? It was too much to expect of that man to think of me as his blood son because I was not. There's a huge difference."

" That night I almost wept. But I didn't. I didn't have any tears left. I could go to school. I could do what I want. There was no one to stop me. But I wished that there was someone to encourage me, to comfort me, and I wished there was someone to miss me if I went. And then I looked at Mokuba, young and hopeful, and I thought how lucky Mokuba was. He was my hope. He was my future. If he ever died perhaps I would do the same thing, find some vessel, download Mokuba's thoughts into the computer so in the future when the VSDLE is finished Mokuba would be alive again. Mokuba would never do that for me. I understood that. Mokuba would never look at me the way I looked at him. I was not Mokuba's future. I was not Mokuba's dream. I was only his big brother, someone he counted on when he couldn't support himself. But once he becomes independent, once he could fend for himself, found someone to love, he'll leave me. And I'll be all alone."

  
  
" You wear glasses?"

Seto hurriedly took them off. " Uh, iie, just...just recently." He stammered, staring at Noa. " Wow, I didn't know you were here. When did you come?"  
" Just several minutes ago. I kept silent because it's not every day that the great Seto Kaiba wears glasses, has a book in his hand, and is wearing headphones while sitting in a wheelchair." Noa blinked.

Seto blushed.

" Seto, I want to ask you about something."  
" Hai?" Seto seemed agreeable enough.  
" I...looked through your files." Noa said uncomfortably, then went on before Seto could say anything. " And I saw that you were working on a machine that made coacervates living."

Seto gaped for a minute, the blinked, tilting his head.  
" Why are you doing this?" He asked. Noa sighed. So Seto understood.  
" I thought that..." Noa sighed and decided to admit it. " You've struggled to go up all your life and people kept on trying to push you down...and this is a crucial moment when you can't fight by yourself anymore. So I thought maybe I could...give your first boost."

Seto studied Noa for a minute. Noa felt lousy. _God, that just came out great!_

Suddenly, the blue eyed teen smiled and put down his book, taking off his glasses.  
" You're telling the truth." The boy said happily. " It's been a long time since I heard anyone speak the truth. Well, other than Yugi-tachi." Seto sighed.  
" It's the first time I remember telling the truth." Noa sat down opposite Seto. " Dealing with people. Ugh. Sometimes I wish I could just stop acting and just express my annoyance."

Seto laughed. It was a cheerful and bright laugh. " I daresay you act quite annoying enough without dropping that mask."  
" Nani?!" Noa cried. " You better take that back!"

Seto laughed.

There was silence for a while.

" So where is the VSLR?" Noa asked.  
" It's..." Seto looked a little reluctant. " In a secret place."

Noa didn't push any further.

" Did you really forgive Gozaburo?" Noa asked after a while.

Seto paused.

" Hai." Seto smiled. " You're lucky, Noa. You have a great father."  
" This coming from his adopted son?"  
" Hey, the word ' adopted' changes everything. If Gozaburo didn't download your thoughts into some program I doubt I'll be talking to you."

Noa smiled. Seto Kaiba-no, Seto Yagami, was actually a really nice person.

" I would have wanted to meet you." Seto said kindly, " If situations were different."  
" Hey, no hard feelings." Noa smiled. " You look tired. When did you get your glasses?"  
" A short time before I fainted." Seto admitted. " The doctor said I stared too much at the computer and had too little sleep, so the radiation harmed my eyes."  
" Did the doctor say if they'll heal?" 

Seto paused. " He said that I only need to wear these when I'm reading."

Noa knew the answer.

" Tell me Noa." Seto began. " How did you get a physical body?"  
" I created a portal from my program." Noa answered. " It basically..." He chuckled. " Threw me into this world."  
" What's it like?" Seto asked curiously.  
" Odd. Just odd. Everything here seems so heavy."  
" What, you mean you float around in your virtual reality world?"  
" Kind of."

Seto laughed. " That sounds cool. I'm not that willing to try it though."  
" I don't think Mokuba would like it either." Noa answered.

Seto looked down.

" You know, the VSLR probably won't work."  
" I know that." Noa answered. " Are you okay?"  
" Yeah well," Seto sighed. " I'm just afraid that...because before I was so confident that I could succeed and let my company run smoothly. These days..." Seto sighed again. " These days it feels like I can't think as fast anymore, and sometimes I have a hard time understanding situations. Sometimes I can't seem to find an answer to problems."

Seto's eyes grew worried and his body tensed.

" I don't know if I can do this anymore." Noa could hear the hint of panic in the poor boy's voice. " I don't know if I could win against all the other CEO's..."  
" Hey, it's okay." Noa said gently, moving over to calm the other. " It's alright. Don't worry about this now. Just worry about getting better. Afterwards we'll think of something."

  
  
" They translated this into French?"

Blink blink.

" A memoir into French?" Anzu blinked. " That's odd. And Seto's not even dead yet."  
" Don't say that." Mai scolded.  
" I know, that's not what I meant." Anzu answered. " So they translated Seto's book to French?"  
" And Spanish, apparently."  
" Already? I heard it's only published last month!"  
" Well, Seto's a good author." Jou answered. " And I guess it was the publishing company's plan. After all, when Seto gets better he'll have to deal with the Americans, the British, the Germans, the Italians, the Chinese..." 


	6. Chapter 5

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 5

" We took the brain cells of mice." Dr. Jujonu sat down. " Mice! You think mice have many brain cells for thinking? Their cerebrum is less than pea size! But anyway, the dope forgot to have a control in his experiments, so we had to do it all over again."

Dr. Fukumoto cocked an eyebrow.

" Let me guess. He's a student."  
" It's a _she_, and iie. She's not a student. She worked in one of the laboratories on the fourteenth floor. Said that she takes way too many breaks and usually eats cookies instead of doing experiments."  
" Well, this person definetely should be fired."  
" I agree."  
" So what, did it work?"  
" Iie. We only got up to killing the brain cells part, because we had to retrieve the brain." Jujonu answered. " Fed it glucose, proteins, everything except oxygen. Should be dead soon."  
" Ah."  
" We'll have to wait until the proteins in the cells denature." Said the scientist. " And then we'll use Kaiba's machine. Personally I hope that thing works. Not only will it help the poor boy, it might save a few people from amputation."  
" And Seto Kaiba would be rich. Again."  
" He might win the Nobel Prize. For science. Actually, it doesn't work that way, but I always humored that thought that you invent something and you get a Nobel Prize."  
" He might. You never know. Those guys look at situations strangely. Remember Yoko upstairs on the seventeenth floor? We all thought she was going to get the Nobel Prize but she never did because those guys said that she never invented a concept."  
" I thought she did."  
" That's what the rest of us thought."

  
  
" Chapter 6"

" It was impossible for the doctors to tell that Gozaburo died from a heart attack. The fall had severely damaged his blood vessels so whatever clots there were had been freed. The doctors therefore assumed that it was the fall that had killed Gozaburo. To tell them the truth would mean to tell the whole story of the VSDLE, and since I had destroyed both the machines and files there would be no evidence and the police would still assume I was lying. Therefore I told the police that I was in the office with my foster father when several floors below us, one of the machines short cutted. The guards, noting the danger, tried to alert Gozaburo, but his cell phone was turned off. Therefore the guards decided to run to the office to alert Gozaburo in person. The sudden appearance of the guards in his room startled Gozaburo, causing him to step back and slip. His head collided with the glass, ( and indeed, Gozaburo fell head-first, so his head was already very much battered,) and somehow broke it, causing the rest to shatter and for him to fall through."

" It was a dirty lie and I was not proud of it. But the reason I lied was because as they took me to the police station I saw Mokuba waiting. I did not know if they would send me to jail for causing Gozaburo to have a heart attack, but I knew that if they did Mokuba's future would be doomed. All these years, counting on me, believing that as long as I'm there everything would be alright, only to find out in the end that his brother was a murderer and would be sitting in jail? That could not happen. So even if I suffer worst punishments for lying that day, at least Mokuba got more of a chance. More confidence."

" The situation was difficult because normally my brother and I would be sent to another foster home, or the orphanage. However, Gozaburo's death was so completely unexpected that there was no one to take his place at Kaiba Corps except, theoretically, me. The people in charge struggled with the validity of both concepts, until I announced that with the money Gozaburo had left for us I could very well take care of Kaiba Corps."

" They didn't believe me but I fought them. I told them that I was twelve years old and can take care of myself and my brother. After a few days of discussion, they finally told me that they'll give me a chance, but if the company fails, I would be sent to a foster home or orphanage."

" I was inclined to neglect Kaiba Corps, the source of all my problems, and let it fall to ruins. I could then go to high school with no problem.With the threat in mind however I was forced to take charge. Gozaburo's death left the corporation nearly bankrupt, because the confidence people had in its success was suddenly taken away. Our stocks fell abruptly until it was a mere cent for each. When I checked this I knew I was in trouble. I never handled a business corporation before. And I was young, a mere twelve year old boy. My inferiors would probably revolt against me and rob me of whatever power I had. I could always go with what I originally planned-to let the corporation fall. But then I saw Mokuba again."

" I remembered how everything was at the orphanage and at Gozaburo's. I remembered how lucky Mokuba was that I was there, taking all the blows for him. A thought came to me. What if this time, Mokuba's the one taking all the blows? What if this time a maniac decided to adopt _him_ as a vessel for someone who had died? What if by letting go of the corporation, Mokuba's future is destroyed?"

" So I decided that I would give my best shot."

  
  
It's not every day that Mokuba Kaiba comes running at full speed from a hospital room and crashes into Seto Kaiba on a wheelchair while screaming.

" Mokuba, Mokuba, what's wrong?" Seto asked. " Hey kiddo, stop yelling, it's okay. I'm here. What happened?"  
" There-there-there was a-head!" Mokuba squeaked. " And it was making-faces!!"  
" Huh?" Seto blinked. " A Head making faces? What are you talking about?"  
" I went in there," Mokuba was close to tears, " And I saw this guy's head floating in some weird liquid! There was no body, and you could see the neck bone underneath! And then I sort of touched something, and there was a beam of light that shot at the head, and then the head opened its eyes! Then it started making faces!!!"

" Well, forget the mice." Jujonu began walking towards the room. " Forget the mice! If this thing works on a dead Head, then obviously it works!"  
" I'm not going back in there! I don't want you to go either!" Mokuba shouted.  
" Yugi, can you take care of Mokuba for me?" Seto asked. " I want to see what the heck happened."

Noa smirked and pushed Seto over. _So much for that. And to think, Mokuba volunteered to get the machine in the first place._

  
  
" Is that scientifically possible?" Seto asked the scientists. " That a head would be alive while the body...?"  
" I'm not sure about that." Said Jujonu. " I think it is. I think the individual cells might be alive..."

_ Oops._ Seto thought. _Shouldn't have started them talking. Do scientists ever stop talking?_

They opened the door without hesitation. The man's head was floating in a liquid solution. His eyes were open. But he's dead.

" I guess the effect wore off, considering there was no oxygen." Fukumoto blinked. " Which button? I think it's, yeah, it's this one." He pressed.

The beam of light shot at the head. The eyes blinked, the mouth opened in a silent scream, and the tongue moved. The eyes blinked again.

" Uhh..." Seto was spooked. " Do you suppose he is conscious right now?"  
" That we'll never know." Jujonu felt ill. " What horror! If you woke up just a head without a body? Elgh!"  
" I am not doing that again." Said Fukumoto, " And if any research goes on with that head I'm not going to do it."

The head was dead again. Or seemed dead.

" Looks like one of those horror movies." Said Anzu reflectively.  
" Onegai." Seto rubbed his temple. " Spare us."

" Well obviously it works on the nerves at least." Jujonu began. " If the head's not conscious, at least the nerves were working, and there was something controlling those nerves. I think Seto Kaiba's machine works."  
" Does it work on any other cell?" Fukumoto wondered.  
" First Kaiba, then experiments." One scientist blinked. " That came out wrong. We did the experiments, we do more experiments concerning Kaiba. And then we do more experi-that was wrong too."  
" We get the point." Seto growled. " Can't you just use that already?"  
" There's still a danger." Fukumoto pointed out. " We don't know if the living cells would start dividing uncontrollably, and what affect would it have on cells that are already alive. And what if Kaiba gets a tumor because of this?"  
" Fine. More days of idiocy." Seto said rather flatly.  
" Idiocy?" Noa blinked. " I hardly thought you were idiotic. You were just slower than normal on the math."

Seto glared at him. _I sometimes wish Noa wasn't that tall in the real world._ He thought. _Wish he would stay in that seven year old body or something that way I can punch him while sitting down._

" How fast is he normally?" A scientist asked, curious.  
"He struggles a bit." Noa answered, patting Seto's head. " But personally," He ignored Seto's next glare, " I think he'll do just fine without that machine. Although if it helps with his confidence I'm up for that."  
" Oni-chan!" Mokuba ran to Seto as they turned in the hall.  
" It's okay Mokuba, the head's dead." Seto said to his trembling brother. _That just sounded so wrong._ He thought.

" So would it work?" Yugi asked the scientists. " Can Kaiba get cured now?"  
" Not necessarily. It might have some side effects. We still have to do more tests." Jujonu answered. " Now we have to take living brain cells out of mice."  
" Poor mice..." Anzu said sympathetically. The scientists stared at her as if she had two heads.

_ I guess they did too many experiments._ Seto decided to close his eyes. _But I agree with Anzu on this one. I actually feel sorry for the mice._

  
  
" The first meeting I ever had with the officials was a nightmare."

" It was obvious at first glance that the officials didn't think I was worth listening to. They merely humored me."

" I knew immediately that to act childish would worsen the situation. Therefore I acted as mature as my age would allow me, and I waited."

" ' My partners and I had agreed, Mr. Kaiba,' one of them, Daidlou, his name was, had began as soon as we greeted each other, " That a new plan for a computer must be made. My partners and I had come up with this.'"

" ' It was a new model of a computer. The sketches were precise, but I immediately noted the flaws.'"  
" ' How would this model work?' I asked."  
" ' It...was meant to create a three dimensional hologram of the image and to respond to verbal-'"  
" ' Iie. This would not work.' I stood up and tossed the folder aside. ' The design is not advanced enough to produce a hologram of any kind unless it's a still hologram. This would definetely not respond to anyone's commands. And I think you know that.'"

" I gave Daidlou my best glare. ' There is a reason why I took over this corporation.' I announced to all the officials. ' Do not think that because I'm young that I am so incapable as to not recognize pranks and tricks. If this company fails you will fail as well.'"

" There was a silence. I remember the flashes of surprise on each man's face. I went on."

" ' I expect all of you to treat this company as respectfully as you did when my father was alive.' I looked at each man in emphasis. ' Those of you who slack off or attempt to betray me will be fired and heaven help you if you wish to find another job. Those of you who wish to test me will be punished according to what you did. Those of you who work hard and are loyal to the company will be rewarded accordingly. Is that understood?'"

" There was a pause. ' Hai, Mr. Kaiba.'"  
" ' Good. Now I assume that all of you have inappropriate plans ready in mind.' I looked at each one and saw surprise and uncertainty. I knew I was right. ' I will excuse you all this one time. I understand that it is hard to cope with a new boss, especially an unexpected one. However, if this happens again, you will be punished or fired, as I see appropriate. And believe me, I know if you did it purposefully. This meeting is adjourned.'"

" It was the shortest meeting I ever had with the company, but it was one of the most horrible experiences in my life. It was there that everything was out in the open. Me, a boy of twelve years, standing alone against twelve full grown men, all laughing, all mocking, all waiting for a chance to crush me. I was unsure whether threatening them was wise and I knew that one wrong move could land me in a grave. The guards are not loyal to me, they're loyal to my father. I was unprotected."

" That night I couldn't sleep. Even when Mokuba fell asleep I stayed awake beside him. I wondered if one wrong move would land Mokuba in a grave as well. Would it? I hoped not. So I was tense that entire night and I couldn't sleep. The next morning I went to Kaiba Corps and most people avoided me. I pretended not to notice or to want it that way."

" The stocks had increased slightly. But there was still much work to do. I knew that Kaiba Corps needed a big change and fast. We needed to come out with a new product. That year, Pegasus J. Crawford started a company called Industrial Illusions and began the game ' Duel Monsters'. I immediately saw my chance to use this new development to my advantage. I began learning the game."

" It didn't take me long. The game came easily. It almost was too easy. And with my gift of reading people I easily won the following Duel Monsters Championship. As the game was so popular it immediately won favor for Kaiba Corps, so the stocks went up steadily."

" There was a sudden change over Mokuba. He began looking at me in a different light. One day I suddenly realized he didn't call me ' Oni-chan' but ' Ni-sama'. I asked him why he called me that."

" Mokuba seemed embarrassed and wouldn't answer me. But he never stopped calling me ' ni-san' or ' ni-sama'. I suddenly felt that we were drawn apart somehow, and I was scared. Why the sudden change? Was taking over Kaiba Corps pulling Mokuba away from me?"

" We use to be so close, Mokuba and I. We slept in the same room and ate from the same plate. We stuck together through harsh times and laughed at each others' success. Now all of the sudden Mokuba's calling me ' ni-sama'. Did I do something that made him feel restricted? Did I somehow control him? Did I somehow make him feel controlled?"

" Mokuba never answered. When I asked him he wouldn't tell me. He never stopped calling me ' ni san' or ' ni-sama'. So one day I asked him as directly as I could."  
" ' Mokuba, did I do something to scare you?'"

" Mokuba started crying at that and ran over to hug me. He kept on repeating ' Ni-sama, Ni-sama' but he didn't run away. I was so confused. What's wrong? And then it hit me. It hit me as if a dagger was thrown from the wall and had stabbed into my forehead."

" I was no longer just his brother. I cannot treat Mokuba as simply my younger sibling. When I took over Kaiba Corps I gave up all my rights to childhood, and I had made myself into an adult. By making myself into an adult I took on the responsibilities of an adult. And Mokuba realized that before I did."

" I was no longer just Mokuba's older brother. I had become his father."

  
  
" I went out there," Seto blinked, " And I found out I could walk straight! I mean _straight_, as in no hunched back, just straight! _Straight!_ Do you have any idea how good that feels?"  
" So Quasimodo finally can walk straight, eh?" Noa teased.  
" Shut up!" Seto hit Noa really hard. Noa winced.  
" And when the sun is shining on my head I didn't feel dizzy!" Seto went on exclaiming. " Although," his face fell, " When I started jogging I nearly fainted."  
" Gee, and people said you were a genius."  
" Shut up!"

Noa laughed. " Come on, we need to find some fast food store where they have meat without injected hormones."  
" Why?"  
" To make red blood cells, you twit!"  
" Meat helps you develop red blood cells?"  
" I don't know. That's what I heard. Unless, of course, you have iron-deficiency anemia, but the _doc forgot to tell us that!_"  
" Stupid doctors." Seto laughed. " If I need iron I need vegatables."  
" Don't say that, or you'll become one."  
" Oh, I'll get you for that!" Seto yelled.

" I never thought I would see the day Seto chases somebody. I mean, really, chase somebody." Yugi observed. " And I never imagined that somebody would be Noa..."

" Get back here!"

" They never cease to amaze me." Yami blinked. " But shouldn't Seto be resting?"  
" Tell that to the green haired buffoon." Ryou answered. " The guy never knows when to quit."  
" I think it all started when Noa called Seto a vegatable..." Honda began.

The group broke into chuckles.

" Geez, how long do they need to test that stupid machine?" Jou asked.  
" You know hospitals. They always postpone until people nearly die. You'd think after that book people would be more supportive. And what happened to Mokuba?"  
" Supportive!" Mai cried, wacking Jou on the head. " Did you see how many people offered to donate blood earlier these days? Unfortunately they forgot they weren't R-."  
" What's type R- anyway?" Jou asked.

Again, the group ignored him.

" The head was freaky!"  
" I know! I almost screamed."  
" You always scream Anzu."  
" Oh be quiet!"  
" Hey, there's one that's translated into English!"  
" They translated a memoir to English?"  
" Well you know how business is in the US."  
" US? Did you know that those guys are more stupid than we are? How did the United States become the center of business anyway?"  
" Cheat, kill, stump, crush. All those things that lead to monopoly."  
" Trusts."  
" Oh, right. And trusts. Nearly killed the Japanese with that."  
" But we make the best cars."  
" I thought Germany makes the best cars."  
" They waste too much gasoline, that's what I heard."  
" Gasoline? But do you know how fast those things go?"  
" I know! It's like race cars there! I heard if you go to a German highway people will honk at you for going too slow even if you're driving at top speed!"  
" But our air is better."  
" Maybe."  
" And we have less accidents."  
" Maybe. Still, we make better cars than the US, at least."  
" And we make the best electronics."  
" If only we could make our own internet."  
" Who cares about who makes the internet? As long as there is one."  
" We have the right to nuclear weapons..."

  
  
" What are those guys talking about?" Seto had stopped chasing Noa and they stared at the group.  
" Are they talking about nuclear weapons?" Noa asked.  
" What odd people." Seto shook his head.

  
  
" Chapter 7"

" I found that I could not afford to go to high school while working in Kaiba Corps. It will lower my reputation and I found I probably could not handle that. So I made Mokuba work hard."

" After attending some of the championships and winning them all, I went back to focusing on technology. Daidlou's idea was obviously not a bad one and I decided to start with that. After two weeks of modifying and testing, the corporation released the new " Holocomputer", a rather uncreative name, but it got the point across."

" The product was such a success not only were the business officials surprised, I was surprised too. For a while that was all we needed, but then I started working on programs, programs dealing with Duel Monsters."

" And that's when I found my first Blue Eyes White Dragon." 


	7. Chapter 6

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 6

" Noa! What are you doing here all alone? Thought you'd be taking care of Seto."  
" I was, until Mokuba decided he was good enough to take care of his brother himself."  
" So you mean Seto took Mokuba out?"  
" Iie. _Mokuba_ took _Seto_ out."  
" You sure that's good?" Yugi asked, sitting down. " The kid cares for his brother, sure, but Seto's still recovering."  
" Oh, you didn't see him today." Noa beamed. " His lips were bright red, and his cheeks are like peaches. I'm telling you, that's the healthiest I've ever seen Seto get. He'll be fine. And would you believe he lost those three white hairs? Now he actually looks his age!"  
" So where did Mokuba take him?"  
" He mentioned the arcade. I guess poor Seto got dragged to play games."  
" Must be bored to death. You never know what that guy likes."

The group laughed.

  
  
" I've never seen in my entire life any guy who borrowed as many books from the library as you did." Jou flipped one book over. " You can actually sit down and read this?"  
" Huh?" Seto looked up, adjusting his glasses. " Yeah. Books are my life. Always had been. One reason why Mokuba always complained."  
" So instead of taking you to the arcade he took you to the library."  
" Very wise too. I don't think I can stand the arcade." Seto laughed, looking back to his book. " Too much radiation."

Jou cocked an eyebrow. " Huh?"

" Yeah, it was very thoughtful of him." Seto was delighted, Jou could tell. " He said, ' this day is all for you Oni-chan.' Very thoughtful. He always knew my favorite place was in the library. Unfortunately all these years I couldn't go very much. So I coped with my own library."  
" You have a library?"  
" Of course I do, Mutt. You think Gozaburo ever went to libraries? I'm surprised he's even literate. That is, until I found a way to educate myself."  
" Yeah, you said that in chapter 4."  
" Nani?" Seto blinked, confused. " Oh no! Don't tell me you're reading it too!"  
" It's Yugi's fault." Jou pouted.

Seto threw a book at him. Jou dodged while laughing.

" I really should bust that publishing company." Seto muttered.  
" Or you can go on being anemic." Jou said brightly. " Maybe die, and people will realize your blood's not red or pink for that matter, but clear as water. Yah, that'll be great!"  
" I can't believe I got type R- blood. I always thought I had type B."  
" Speakin of blood types, what _is_ type R-blood?" Jou asked. " I asked it over and over again and no one answers me."  
" You know the ABO blood types, right?" Seto began.  
" Hai?"  
" That's type R+. If I remember correctly, ninety percent of the world population has type R+. The remaining ten percent have my blood type, so it makes it hard to find. Good thing Mokuba has type R+ blood."  
" So it's outside the ABO blood types?"  
" Hai. But let's not go into biology. You'll learn that in eleventh grade."  
" I don't want to learn biology. Sounds so complicated."  
" Too complicated for you, mutt." Seto laughed. Then he took of his glasses to polish them.

  
  
" The Blue Eyes White Dragon was being created at Industrial Illusions. I was working on the program when it was first displayed. When I heard the name I immediately thought of the only words I remembered from my mother. So I studied the card, and immediately felt a connection. I was my mother's Blue Eyes. I was born in the year of the Dragon. And I knew that if this card is the only card left in the world I'm going to be the one to take it."

" And I did. It was interesting. Someone, an American, decided that he could sell the Blue Eyes White Dragon on an online auction for a high price. And the price was by no means low for a piece of cardboard. Three thousand American dollars for a piece of paper is a really bad deal. But I was determined to get it. After all, it's the only card in the market, right?"

" I guess I got lucky. No one wanted to offer more than twenty-eight hundred dollars for a piece of paper, and I was crazy. The card was shipped to me. I looked at the card and laughed. Three thousand dollars for three thousand attack points. How uncanny. And then came the next Blue Eyes White Dragon."

" This time I got it for free. A boy somehow laid claim to it but he didn't know how much it was worth. I was thirteen years old and I offered to duel for that card. He lost. I never knew his name. But he gave up his Blue Eyes White Dragon without thought. I guess he regrets it now."

" I had two Blue Eyes White Dragons in my hand and I decided it was enough. After all, one was enough. And I had two. And this time, both birds were in my hands. But then came the third Blue Eyes White Dragon."

" ' Do they ever quit?' I once said to Mokuba. ' This is getting annoying. Each time they make a Blue Eyes White Dragon card the individual cards lose their worth. And to think, I spent fifteen hundred dollars for each of the two cards. Now they're worth even less."

" The card fell into my hands. I didn't even try to take it this time, but the card fell into my hands when I traveled to New York City two weeks before my fourteenth birthday. Someone left that card in the hotel room I was placed in. I left it in the lost and found, but when no one claimed it, I took it with me when I left the country to come back to Japan. When I announced I got the third Blue Eyes White Dragon no one complained, so I assumed no one was upset and whoever lost the card didn't miss it."

" I was fairly happy. What use to be three thousand dollars per card now became only one thousand dollars per card. I passed my birthday quite secretly with my brother and by that time neither of us complained. We were so use to having no birthday parties that it no longer mattered. All those cheap gifts, gift wrappers, cakes, seemed trivial to both of us. We did buy gifts-a blue dragon made of crystal. I would have given it to Mokuba."

" ' But it's your birthday, Ni-sama.' Mokuba chirped. ' I'm not the birthday boy.'"

" But when we took it home, the box the crystal dragon was in slipped from my fingers, and the beautiful dragon shattered into pieces."

  
  


*~*  
  


" He read through five books in the past two hours!!" Jou cried. " What in Kami's name is that?"  
" It's called reading." Noa smirked.  
" How's Kaiba doing?" they heard voices ask. Seto looked up.  
" It's raining outside." He noted. A middle aged man entered the room.  
" Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba." The man smiled good naturedly.  
" Mr. Richards!" Seto laughed, standing up. " How delightful! I'm certain you didn't fly from England just to see me?"  
" What are they saying?" Jou asked. Noa rolled his eyes.   
" Don't you learn English in school?" He asked Jou.  
" How are you? How is your lovely wife doing?" Seto asked.  
" Oh, she's fine. Recently diagnosed with hypertension, but she'll be perfectly fine."  
" Oh. And your children?"  
" John graduated from Oxford." Richards smiled. " I don't have much time but I heard that my dear boy is anemic. You look healthier than I've ever seen you, my boy."

Seto smiled and blushed. " Thank you, Mr. Richards. I've had some..." He closed his eyes. " Support."  
" I'm glad to hear that. Well, I would come by later. I see you were quite busy before I came," Richards eyed the books with amusement. " Take care of yourself."  
" I will. You too." Seto sat down as Richards left.

" What was that?"  
" That was Mr. Richards from London." Seto answered, taking his glasses again. " Wow, it's really pouring outside. We use to have dinner together whenever I was in England."  
" Seto, you're jumping from topic to topic." Honda observed.  
" Oh? Oh. I'm just reading, that's all." Seto ignored them.

  
  
" Chapter 8"

" The next year the I worked on enhancing the fields that the corporation covered. We drowned most of the other technology companies, but being that Japan took the suggestion of the United States and prohibited monopoly, the remaining companies binded together into a trust group."

" I wasn't worry about the trust. My company was stable and my inferiors were loyal. The company was growing and it was healthy. One morning I woke up to the voice of Mokuba and I heard him call out,"

" ' I'm off for school now! Bye Ni-sama!'"

" School! I knew I didn't need to go to school anymore. My future was set. Even if my company failed I would have no problem building a new life. School was useless. But I thought of that fateful year when I was under Gozaburo's control. I thought of how I aimed for the nearest future I could possibly get. I could have gone to high school three years ago. It's not too late."

" So I did the craziest thing I ever did yet. I went to high school when I didn't have to. But it was a nightmare. I found that I could no longer talk to people. I couldn't deal with people. Teachers are supposed to be superior over students but the teachers were afraid of me. Students, classmates, were supposed to be equal with me and yet I couldn't help but strive to prove that I was better than they are. I was an orphan. No matter how successful I become deep inside I would still be an orphan. And people will still treat me like one once I become less than the best."

" Students talked. They didn't like me. I was an outsider. They couldn't understand why I went to school anyway. I heard people calling me a money-greedy bastard. It was hard to tell myself that it was false now, because I don't know if I'm greedy for money anymore. Money never seemed to be the purpose of my attempts, but it always seemed to be the result. The students immediately sensed that I was different. A misfit. And I couldn't bring myself to fit in. It was so long since I last had friends that I no longer knew how to make any. I put my mind completely into telling people who's the boss that I couldn't stop anymore. So the teachers didn't like me. The students didn't like me. And school became hell for me."

" But I still went. To fulfill the last promise I ever made for myself. I had promised myself I would go to school. If I didn't get to college, at least I'll get to high school. And that was my ultamite goal in the days Gozaburo was still alive. I also sensed that I needed to be with people my age. Even if my natural instincts were to prove who's the boss, I still felt more comfortable knowing that the people around me wouldn't look down on me because of my age."

" So I went. I coped with high school."

  
  


*~*  
  


" On April fifteenth, Mokuba's birthday, I heard about the fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. I was truly annoyed, but at first I didn't really bother to get it."

" The obsession began to develop. I found I couldn't stop thinking about that fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. I began to feel uneasy, knowing that one Blue Eyes would be enough to enhance any deck. I needed to be the best, for I can settle for nothing less, and this new threat to both the value of the cards and to my reputation was more than I could stand for."

" So I began to search for the last Blue Eyes White Dragon. It seemed these cards always ended up in the most odd of places. I actually found out where the card was from my high school."

" It was in a game shop."

" Typical, Duel Monsters is a game, but the Blue Eyes White Dragon isn't something you sell in every store on the street. So when I heard that the card was in the game shop I was intrigued. So I followed the group of students to that game shop."

" That's actually how I met Yugi Motou and his grandfather, Soguruku Motou. But I dealt with Sugoruku first. I offered to trade. He refused, a wise man. I offered to buy, and still he refused. I thought that odd. And then he gave me the lamest excuse I've ever heard in my entire life."

" ' This card was given to me from a dear friend...'"

" Friends! You keep a card for a friend? Gods, if I gave one of my Blue Eyes to someone I know he would sell it for all the gold in the world. I never heard of anything so ridiculous. But inside I knew it was true. This old man, poor and insignificant as he was, had a good heart. I would have laughed out loud back there if I weren't so shocked and bitter. I never knew such friendship existed. I went out."

" _Little orphan_, I said to myself. _All because you're a little orphan. What could an orphan give? An orphan has no family, no money. An orphan is all alone in the world. You're lucky, you have Mokuba, and Mokuba has you. But you won't find anyone else._"

" Why is it that this always comes up as the final excuse? Why is it that this prevents me from getting what life had to offer? I always wondered what it would have been if Oka-san hadn't died, if Otou-san hadn't died, and I was someone like Yugi Motou, or any other fourteen year old in this world. Perhaps I would not be Seto Kaiba, the billionaire in Japan. But at least I would be rich in other areas. I wanted that day to say that I was not an orphan. I was not some ragamuffin going around the streets. It was simply that my parents died early!"

" But I knew it wouldn't matter. The moment I lose my ground people will sneer and say, ' that's how an orphan usually ends up. Nameless and laughable.'"

" So when I normally would have let that last dragon go I went for it. And I took Sugoruku to duel him for it."

" He lost. I tore the last card. I really should have kept it, I guess, but I tore it. And then came the famous duel between me and Yugi Motou."

  
  
" So you're going for it?" Noa asked Seto.  
" Hai." Seto nodded.  
" You're fine the way you are."  
" I know."  
" You sure you want to take the risk?"  
" I'm sure, alright?" Seto smiled, taking off his glasses and putting them aside. " What, are you nervous?"  
" Of course I'm nervous. I wouldn't want you to develop some brain tumor three years from now."  
" If I do, at least I'll die as the great Seto Kaiba!" Seto laughed.  
" Seto, that's not funny. I'm serious. Now that I think of it I really don't like this."  
" They did all the tests."  
" They're still not sure yet."  
" They're never sure."  
" Seto,"  
" Noa."

The door opened and Mokuba hopped in.

" Oni-chan!"

Noa sighed and left the brothers alone.

  
  
" Why's Noa suddenly so worried?" Jou asked.  
" Dunno." Honda answered.  
" Do you suppose it's a good idea to let Seto do it?" Ryou asked. " I mean, the machine does have odd powers. Remember the head?"  
" Don't talk about that head. Onegai!" Anzu groaned.

There was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.

" Okay, that's really gettin on my nerves." Jou looked towards the window. " Whaddya s'pose's up with the weather lately?"  
" I think it started ever since we went to that library." Yami observed. " It stopped in between but each time it rained it's like someone's pouring a bucket of water in the sky."  
" Freaky." Anzu shuddered.

  
  
" Everything's going to be alright." Seto assured his brother. " and this time, I'm going to give you your first birthday party."  
" Really? But...I don't want a birthday party." Mokuba muttered. Seto blinked.   
" Why?"  
" You know." Mokuba shrugged. " It doesn't matter anymore. We never had birthday parties, ever. And the gifts are always cheap anyway."  
" You know, I saw that crystal dragon in the store a few months ago. Do you want one?"  
" I don't want it to break like last time. It feels as if you were breaking."

There was a stunned silence.

" Everything's going to be okay, right?" Mokuba asked. " Things are going to be better. You'll come home earlier?"  
" Maybe." Seto smiled doubtfully. " If the world is kind." 


	8. Chapter 7

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Chapter 7

" Chapter 9"

" ' Teach him about the Heart of the Cards' Sugoruku told Yugi before we began the duel. I was inclined to laugh. I didn't need to learn anything about the cards. I needed to learn how to make friends. I needed to be taught that friendship does exist in the world, not some lousy ' I'll be nice to you as long as you're useful' kind of friendship, but a deep friendship as in ' I will never abandon you no matter how tough times are'. I wanted to be taught that there is love and that I am capable of being loved. I wanted to learn how to deal with people, how to relax and not worry about my future or Mokuba's future or whether I would wake up the next morning. I wanted to learn how to just sit back and have a nice chat with someone who is not afraid of me and who I'm not afraid of. Not some facts about pieces of paper."

" Of course, Yugi didn't know that, and neither did Sugoruku. I was determined to humiliate Yugi. But when that boy duels it seemed he became a completely different person. He became more confident, more bold, more trusting in his skills. It all paid off for him. He assembled the impossible. He assembled Exodia."

" Had I been any other person I would have just forgotten about it after a while. It's obvious that a champion would not forget such a loss so easily. But I was not just any champion. I was an orphan. I started out at the bottom of everything, the bottom of the social class, the bottom of the group. I climbed my way to the top but it was not an easy climb, and I was always in danger of falling over. And the fall isn't just a little tumble. It's a heavy drop to a bottomless pit. And this drop would rob me of all loyalties that I had earned over the past few years."

" Mokuba was just as shakened as I was. He always thought I was invincible. He always thought I was the best and most successful person in the world. How perfect can an orphan possibly be? I had no family. I had nowhere to back to, no alternatives. But Mokuba had. Mokuba had me. If he failed he could always lean on me for support. But who am I going to lean on?"

" Those days after that fateful duel were a nightmare. Never had I wanted more then those days for someone to cuddle me and tell me everything's going to be alright. I wanted someone to tell me that everyone makes mistakes and that one failing did not mean the end of the world. But Mokuba was too young and too oblivious, and I was alone. There was no one to lean against, no one to talk to, no one to understand. There was no one to tell me that I was not any less intelligent than I was before. There was no one to tell me that I will be safe."

" And no wonder. I wasn't. All my predictions had been right. My company officials turned on me and tried to overthrow me. The stocks of Kaiba Corps went down after my defeat. People began saying that I was no longer fit to be the CEO."

" After leading that company for more than three years, making it reach to the acme of its wealth and power, only to say that I was no longer fit? From one simple game? I couldn't understand. Perhaps it was because I was an orphan. Because I was young. Because all along I had been a fool."

" I always told myself I was just as good as anyone else. I guess the world doesn't agree."

  
  
" I don't know." Seto answered.  
" You don't know if it worked or not?"  
" I certainly know that I'm thinking better. I guess it did. But so far the most obvious change was I have less dandruff."

There were snorts of laughter among the doctors.

" That's gross." Anzu grimaced. Seto smiled.  
" I think the machine healed more than just dead brain cells," He said, looking particularly at Yami, who flinched and stepped back, unsure.

_ Nani?_ Noa thought. _What did he mean by that?_

  
  
" Chapter 10"

" Some time later Pegasus J. Crawford began the Duelist Kingdom Tournament and I was invited. I felt so drained of both confidence and hope I could not go, especially when I knew Yugi Motou was going to be there. I could not afford another loss, and yet I was desperate to prove that I was still as good as before. I decided to stop and distract myself."

" It was the wrong move. I had no idea that my officials would act so quickly. Perhaps being distracted fogged my sight. But as I was working on my new dueling disk, Pegasus's men came unexpectedly and ordered me to go with them."

" I jumped out the window like I had so many years ago at Kaiba Corps. Only this time, I did not go up but let myself fall. Below there was a high cliff with jagged rocks on the bottom. I let myself hang on to a hold on the cliff and hide until the guards left the window. Then I went back to a secret underground room."

" That was when I realized Pegasus had kidnapped Mokuba. My one family and friend. I didn't really know what Pegasus had in mind to do to Mokuba. From past acquaintances I always noted he observed me in a peculiar way. What did he have planned?"

" I logged on to the computer and trespassed Pegasus's files. There I noted that Yugi Motou was dueling someone for my brother. The strange thing was, that person called himself Seto Kaiba. I was amazed. At the same time I knew that Yugi must not lose so I watched over his duel, doing whatever I could to put the odds on his side."

" It was strange. Somehow, when I felt I couldn't do anything, I called to Yugi, and the monster of the fake Seto Kaiba disappeared, vanished, along with the life points. It seemed Motou was right after all about the Heart of the Cards. And then I smiled to myself. The Heart of the Cards. Yugi Motou's strength and weakness. Does he know whether the cards will always listen to him?"

  
  
Seto groaned, holding his head. He sat down slowly.  
" Are you okay?" Yami jumped to his side. " You don't feel anything growing against you skull, do you?"  
" Iie. Pharaoh, I'm not five years old." Seto grunted in annoyance. " You don't need to hop over me as if I'm going to die the next second."

Yami ignored him. " Maybe you should go lie down."  
" Yami."

Yami suddenly paused. " What did you call me earlier?"  
" I called you Yami."  
" Iie. Earlier."  
" I called you Pharaoh."  
" Why?" Yami asked after a pause.  
" The headache came from memories." Seto finally admitted. " You, me, Egypt."

Yami stepped back and was silent.

" I guess I'm doomed to always be alone." Seto smiled bitterly. " But luckily I have Mokuba. I always had Mokuba. That's good..."

  
  
" I went over to Duelist Kingdom Island on my helicopter. I ran over and over in my mind how Pegasus could possibly lay hands on my brother. Then it hit me. The Big Five! The business officials that had worked from the days of Gozaburo. They must have made a deal with Pegasus. They must have. And then my suspicions were confirmed. Pegasus wanted to take over my company and the Big Five agreed to let him do it as long as I'm gone and the money was theirs."

" Mokuba was in a dungeon cell at the bottom of a tower, chained to the wall."

" ' Mokuba!' I shouted, hoping that he was alright. He was so still..."  
" ' Ni-sama!' Mokuba cried, rising to his feet. ' I knew you would come! They say that you wouldn't but I knew you would!'"  
" ' Just hang on, I'll get you out of there,' I told Mokuba, and I began to pick at the lock."  
" ' Well well well, two brothers reunited. Isn't that so touching!'"

" I turned around. There was Pegasus. But there was something about his face and the way he talked that wasn't right at all. I was suddenly afraid."  
" ' You're not going to get away with Mokuba,' Pegasus smirked. ' First, you'll have to prove yourself.'"

" Prove myself. I would have laughed. How many times do I have to prove myself? Isn't a whole life's worth of _proving_ enough already?"

" And then he went on. _You must duel Yugi Motou_. Those were the final words that I could still remember. _You must duel Yugi Motou. Or else._"

" I did not want to duel Yugi again. Not under these circumstances, driven to desperation. But what could I do? So I threatened him."

" ' You're not going to get away with this.' I said to him."  
" ' Ah ah ah,' Pegasus shook his head in fake disapproval. ' Heed my words, Kaibaboy. In this time, in this castle, in this realm, I and I alone make the threats.'"

" I heard a scream. It was Mokuba's scream. Whatever Pegasus had done to Mokuba it was painful and Mokuba slumped lifelessly over on the cell floor. I stared at Pegasus in surprise and horror."

" ' What did you do to him?' I cried."

" And then Pegasus did a curious thing. He held up a card. It was the size and texture of a regular Duel monster's card, only it had a picture of Mokuba, hands pressed against something as if he was pressing against glass, his eyes wide and his face crying for me. And in the background was pitch black, as if he had been trapped in the realm of shadows."

_" ' You want you brother back, Kaibaboy? Well, you're just going to have to play by my rules.'"_

  
  
" SETO KAIBA MISSING FOR THREE DAYS"

" Friends of the CEO says he has no comments on the disappearance of Seto Kaiba, the fifteen year old inventor and foster son of the late Gozaburo Kaiba. Police are working on identifying Kaiba's location..."

  
  
" What do you suppose happened?" Jou asked. " He seemed fine a few days ago, and all of the sudden he vanished. Gone from the mansion, gone from the building. Where did he go?"

Yami didn't answer.

  
  
" Everything afterwards seemed fuzzy. It was as if a shroud was dropped over my head. I knew I dueled Yugi and I won, honestly or dishonestly. And I knew I dueled Pegasus and I lost. But what Pegasus did to me I could not say."

" Later I realized that Pegasus wanted to use my technology to bring his wife back. He was right when he assumed I would not agree to it, but this new prank made me feel more bitter. Why was it that I always seem to fall into someone's plans in bringing about someone who had died? First Noa, now Pegasus's wife. And as always people placed their own loved ones before me."

" For a while I dwelled on this thought and then I felt so pathetic I would have vomited. There's no reason why anyone should care for me. I was no one's son, no one's nephew, no one's uncle or cousin. I was no one's younger brother, no one's grandson or great-nephew. I was no one's father. I am young and unmarried and have no one except Mokuba who can't even take care of himself. And once again I felt unprotected and alone, like one standing still while the rest of the world was moving. I felt like some lost alien trapped in an unknown world. Again I wished that someone would try to attempt some crazy plan to rescue _me_ if I ever died too early. But who would? I knew how others thought. The mere thought of me dying would send them cheering."

" Perhaps they'll have a parade of some kind, or a kind of party. And they might set the Kaiba Corps building on fire, and when they toss me to some dirt they might spit on my grave. Only Mokuba, dear Mokuba, he'll be the only one standing, and then it would no longer be the two of us standing in a moving world but him all alone, lost and scared as I was, wondering what would happen to him. But now Mokuba was safe and sound completely oblivious. I knew Mokuba would never love me the way I loved him. Like a father and son, the father would do anything to save his child, but when the son grows up he'll leave the nest and will forget that the father ever existed."

  
  
" Where in Ra's name did you go?" Bakura cried to Seto as Seto stepped from the limo. Seto shrank back as a crowd of reporters suddenly ran over to him. He waited for a while until the questions ceased.  
" I could not understand a word anyone here said," Seto smiled good naturedly, and the reporters had to laugh in embarrassment. " But I'm sure that you were all wondering where I've been this past week."

There was a murmur of approval at that comment.

" My brother and I were at Kyoto first. That was where our mother was buried. Tuesday was her birthday and we went to the temples to burn incense for her. Then we traveled to Mount Fuji to a temple where my father was buried to burn incense for him. Now, I think I've answered the main question-"

" Mr. Kaiba-"  
" Mr. Kaiba-"  
" Mr. Kaiba-"

_ They never quit, do they?_ Seto sighed.

  
  
" How do you deal with them?" Noa asked, massaging Seto's stiff neck muscles. " They just rant on and on and on and on..."  
" To think, there's this thing about _privacy_..." Seto groaned. " Ow! There, right there, Ow! Don't pinch so hard! You're going to make it swell."  
" Gee, you sound like a girl." Noa laughed. If Seto turned around Noa was sure he'd be glaring. " Was the trip okay?"  
" Hai, it was fine." Seto answered, standing up when Noa let him go.   
" You're stressed out." Noa observed.  
" Hai hai."  
" You should have a holiday."  
" You know, that's what I've been thinking." Seto smiled. " Now that I think of it, I really didn't need that machine. I could take an early retirement. I don't need to work anymore, even if Mokuba does."  
" Hey, are you running away?" Noa laughed, amused.  
" Sure. Why not. I've been chasing people like you for the latter part of my life. It's time I stopped chasing and let you chase me."  
" Pegasus did a lot of that, for sure."  
" Nah. He had me chasing him in the end."  
" You're making a big mistake."  
" Why?"  
" We need a competitor!" Noa cried. " I was looking forward to whatever duels we'd have in the future. Public and official duels."  
" Oh please."  
" Come on. Just take a temporary holiday."  
" I'm choosing the permanent one."  
" Temporary. You know you can't keep away from Kaiba Corps."  
" Why not? I'm not a Kaiba."  
" Well congratulations, Seto. You're officially a Kaiba now. That means I get to torture you."

Seto hesitated, studying Noa's eyes for any sign of lying, before the full meaning set in. " Oh no! I'm the one torturing you!"  
" I'm the elder one."  
" I don't care. I'm the boss. I get to do what I want."  
" Not when I'm in charge!"  
' Since when were you in charge?"  
" Since you became a Kaiba."  
" In your dreams!"  
" I'll announce the new authority of this household to Mokuba."  
" No you won't!" Seto laughed. Noa patted Seto's shoulder before exiting the room. Seto sat down on a random chair and stared at the door.

_ I guess I'm not alone anymore._ He thought.

  
  
" Chapter 24"

" After the Battle City Tournament Yugi and I didn't speak for a long while. I didn't really know if I won or if I lost. I felt so confused."

" At the same time I knew I was beginning to fade. My strength was beginning to ebb. One morning I looked in front of the bathroom mirror and I didn't know who that person was in the looking glass. And Mokuba startled me one day."

" ' Ni-sama, you look like a ghost!'"

" I guess I did look like a ghost. I certainly felt like one. And I thought, _I'm going to die soon. What will Mokuba do? What will happen to him?_"

  
  
" Be someone before I become no one. That's the motto. Now, I've become someone," Seto announced, " And therefore, I'm retiring, to become no one."  
" You will do no such thing." Noa pushed Seto down.  
" Excuse me!" Seto laughed, standing up, " I have the rights to my decisions."  
" No you don't. You're going to lead Kaiba Corps."  
" _You're_ the eldest! And _you _were the one who tried to take over the company! Why don't _you_ run it!?"  
" Because I don't want to bother with those losers."  
" Yeah right. Chicken! Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken!"  
" I'm not a chicken. You're the one who likes corn.'  
" You like corn too!"  
" You're the one that's clucking."  
" I'm not clucking! What's your definition of clucking?"  
" Repeating the same words over and over again."  
" Oh! I'll get you for that!" Seto shouted, jumping out of his chair and swatting at Noa, who ducked. Noa was glad he had a sixteen year old's body.

  
  
  
" I guess what had saved myself was the fact that all these years I never called myself Seto Kaiba. I always remembered that no matter what people call me and no matter what influence Gozaburo had on me I will never be a Kaiba. And that I took comfort in, because even though I was an orphan I am my own person. I have my own thoughts, my own mind, and my own destiny. Even if people continue to push me down, or lie to me, I always stayed true to myself."

" So I found that even if I was alone, I am protected. Because I knew who I am."

  
  
" Good to see you're back Mr. Kaiba." Said the secretary at the desk. Seto smiled.  
" I'm glad to be back too." He answered.  
" You look healthier." The secretary remarked. " Did the hospital treat you well?"

Seto laughed and walked back, and Mokuba followed him when he headed towards the elevator again. Mokuba was grinning childishly, and licking an ice cream cone."

  
  
" Even so, my life long wish was that there will be someone to care for me, someone who would do something for me without strings attached. Someone who would understand that my name is not Seto Kaiba."

  
  
" How are the stocks?" Noa asked as Seto locked the front door of his home.  
" Growing." Seto answered. " Although I compensated for that for all the ice cream Mokuba asked for. That kid's going to get obesity!"  
" As long as Mokuba's happy, I'm happy." Noa shrugged. " And as long as _you_ don't get obesity or anorexia, I'm happy. How's the RBC count?"  
" Normal." Seto answered. " They say I don't have to go back to the hospital anymore. I'm fine. And they called me pretty." Seto scowled. " I'm not _pretty!"  
_" Yeah, ' skin as white as snow, cheeks and lips as red as blood, and'...hair as brown as wood. Face it, Seto. You're a total Snow White without the black hair."  
" Pretty child." Seto kept on scowling. " I'm not _pretty_ and I'm not a _child_."  
" Tell that to the lawyers. I'm ordering pizza. Time to catch up on the calories."  
" Pizza!" Seto jumped. " Yay!"

_ Sure,_ Noa thought. _You're not a child._

  
  
" My name is Yagami. Seto Yagami." 


	9. Epilogue

Through the Eyes of an Orphan

Epilogue

" I don't want to take that cough medicine!" Seto wailed. " It tastes bitter and chemical-ish and yucky!"  
" Come on, you're eighteen years old going on nineteen and you're still whining about cough medicine? Be a big boy!" Noa slapped at Seto's arm. " Besides, you forced me to take _my_ cough medicine last time, so it's only fair that you take yours."  
" Do I have to take the western medicine _and _the oriental medicine?"  
" Hai."  
" Whyyyy?" Seto wailed.

Mokuba snorted with amusement.

" Don't touch that cup Mokuba." Seto changed from a whining child to a grown up adult. " I just drank from that. Do you want to catch the flu too?"

The fifteen year old teenager withdrew from the cup and grabbed another one.  
" See? Mokuba's a good boy. Unlike _you_."  
" You weren't an angel either." Seto sniffed.

" Your Blue Eyes are done for!" Yami chuckled. " Ra, Seto, did the flu fog up your brain?"  
" Not funny." Seto shook his head. " Not funny Pharaoh."  
" So it did. Well, I'll excuse you for the poor game this time."  
" A two hour game? You call a two hour game a poor game? Are you mad? You know, normally, _poor games_ last fifteen minutes at most."  
" You mean the duel with Jou."  
" Hai."  
" Hey!" Jou cried from the other side of the room. " It was a good game! I was unlucky!"  
" You drew the Red Eyes Black Dragon and you call yourself unlucky?" Seto cried, incredulous.  
" Well...fine, you were more lucky than I was."  
" You lose repeatedly to me. There wasn't a single game that you won." Seto pointed out.  
" Really?" Noa blinked.

Jou blushed.

" Oh, look." Honda pointed at the newspaper. " They let Pegasus out."  
" Don't talk about Pegasus." Seto muttered. _I didn't mean to land Pegasus in jail..._  
" He was only in jail for three years! For kidnapping a kid? That's just wrong!" Jou cried.  
" He should be there for at least five years." Anzu blinked. " but I really don't know about jail time."  
" I don't want to know." Seto shrugged. " I'm surprised they didn't arrest _me_."  
" Because of that Gozaburo incident?" Noa rolled his eyes. " It was an accident."  
" Still, I lied. Achoo!"  
" Hey!" Yami gathered up his cards in a hurry. " Don't give my Dark Magician the flu!"

" How come it never stopped raining?" Seto looked out the window from his bed. " The forecast said that it'll stop raining by three in the afternoon and now it's already eight."  
" Don't know." Noa shrugged. " How's the eyes?"  
" Good." Seto answered. " Thanks to that machine I could toss away the glasses and not be afraid to use the laptop."  
" I can't believe you're still monitering stocks while having the flu."  
" Hey, that's the use of laptops." Seto answered.  
" Tadaima!" Mokuba shouted from downstairs.  
" Oh, finally. About time he got home from the arcade. I swear Yugi-tachi has a bad influence on him." Seto muttered.  
" Bad influence? Your brother got into the best high school in Japan! Bad influence my eye." Noa snorted. " I guess intelligence runs in the Yagami family."  
" You're talking. I would think the Kaibas would be full of people like Einstein."  
" Einstein? What? I don't want to be like Einstein! For one thing, he's bald, he acts like an idiot when he's a child, and third, He's BALD!"  
" Baldness also runs in the family. Do you know that?" Seto laughed. " You're losing your hair. I found something green in my soup yesterday, and you were the one cooking it. Chock full of green colored indigestable protein."  
" Shut up." Noa blushed. " If you weren't sick I would put you in a headlock."  
" On bed?" Seto blinked. " Noa, you're as crazy as your otou-san."  
" I'm not. I didn't try to get Gozaburo back with the VSDLE."  
" That's because you don't know how to make the VSDLE."  
" Be quiet!"

Seto laughed.

Mokuba came up the stairs.

" God, you're soaked!" Seto sat up. " If you caught the flu, I'm going to kill you."  
" I'm going to take a warm shower." Mokuba laughed. " See you later."  
" You heard me young man!" Seto warned, while Noa laughed. " Next time when you're caught in the rain you race straight home. It's raining for an hour already!"

" Well," Noa began after they heard the shower being turned on. " Let's focus on you now. Wouldn't want my foster brother's birthday to be full of sneezes and headaches, would you?"  
" I don't want to take that drat medicine!"

" What a beautiful day!" Seto exclaimed. " It's one of the best birthday days yet. The air actually smells nice."  
" Don't comtemplate on the weather." Noa said hurriedly. " Go to work."  
" Nani? Just after I recovered from the flu? That's real nice of you!"  
"Just go. I have things to do." Noa answered before leaving."  
" Huh?" Seto stared off after him. The guard hid a chuckle.

" What I would give for a can of soda." Yugi sat down on the couch. " I have a keen appetite for soda."  
" After all the soda you drank in college?" Yami blinked. " God, I thought Tokyo University was a good university."  
" It's just a name, Yami." Yugi answered. " I'm glad Seto's birthday's not a school day."  
" Hai. But we'll have to go back to college soon."  
" After Seto's party."  
" Party at a restaurant? Wouldn't he like to have it at home?"  
" But then Noa has to cook. And you know how his hair is."  
" Oh."

Suddenly, there was a jingling. The door opened.  
" Ohayo!" Sugoruku called.   
"Hey Gramps." Jou smirked. " Where's Yug?"  
" Do you have soda? We ran out of soda." Yugi answered.  
" Save that for Seto's party." Honda answered.  
" But I'm _thirsty!_"  
" Then drink water. Soda has too much sugar anyway."  
" Hmph." Yugi sat back on the couch.

" Here are the files you requested." The forty-nine year old secretary smiled at the young CEO. " You seem to be in a good mood today."

Seto paused, looking over the files. " Well, it's hard to be unhappy on a day like this."

The secretary left his desk after agreeing. Despite Seto's softer manner, most employees are still afraid to slack off on their work, because on that Seto was not gentle. Still, Seto made it clear that as long as the officials do their job, he'll be in a good mood. He controlled the officials. The officials controlled the rest. And he made sure the officials made sure everyone's working seriously. The lower workers he didn't push very much and therefore was rather kind to them.

" Mrs. Tak?" He called.  
" Hm?"  
" Can you take these to Mr. Tokushi, I think he's over at the other side of the building...room 407."  
" Sure." The secretary walked back and took the files. Seto sighed and blinked.

_Do I need glasses again?_

He shrugged. He could always use the machine again, but reading with glasses wasn't much. He searched for the unused pair of glasses and put them on.

" Bad, this design isn't going to work." Seto shook his head.

" Mr. Kaiba?"  
" Hm?" Seto looked up, lowering his glasses so he could see the man over them. " What is it?"  
" There's a delivery from England for you." The man said uncomfortably.  
" England?" Seto frowned. " Let me see that." He took the box over. There was a note attached. Seto read the note briefly.

" Oh! It's Mr. Richards. How thoughtful." Seto smiled tenderly. " You can go now." He said to the man.

Inside was a crystal dragon, blue as Seto's eyes. Seto smiled so that he didn't know if he could ever stop smiling after that and fought the urge to giggle in delight. He wrapped it carefully up again and placed it in the box.

" Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto looked up again. This time it was the secretary, and she was smiling. " Mr. Yoshihara wants you to come downstairs to the second floor in half an hour."  
" Oh?" Seto blinked. " Alright. Tell him I'll be there."

The secretary bowed and left.

Seto stepped out of the elevator and stopped in surprise.

There was a loud cheer, and Seto's face broke into a grin.

" Happy Birthday Mr. Kaiba!" Mr. Yoshihara stepped forward to welcome him. Seto looked around.  
" How come I never knew of this?" He laughed. " You totally transformed the place!"  
" Well, we took care not to disturb you." Said another official, and suddenly everything was noisy and merry. Seto shook his head and could only laugh, he was so shocked. This never happened before!

" A toast!" Called Mr. Yoshihara, as everyone lifted their glasses, some sitting at the available chairs, some standing carrying their plates. All lifted their glasses as Yoshihara went on.  
" A toast to Kaiba Corps' success all these years, to another year of health for our young friend, to another year of life and new beginnings, and to wealth, friendship, love, and family!"  
" Alright!" People cried, as they lifted their glasses higher and drank. " We'll toast to that!"

Seto touched glasses with his fellow officials and drank. It seemed a huge weight has been lifted, as if indeed, it was a time for new beginnings.

" You, are coming with us." Noa and Mokuba laughed as they dragged Seto out of the mansion.  
" Hey! I just got home!"  
" Like we care!" Noa laughed as he pushed Seto to the passenger seat. " I'm driving."  
" Why are _you_ always the one that drives?"  
" Because I'm several months older than you."  
" No fair!"  
" Hey, at least you drive _sometimes._" Mokuba said from the back seat. " I can't drive at all."

Seto laughed. " We're going to the restaurant?" He suddenly blinked, and was glad that the other birthday party was during lunchtime.

" Come on, Seto." Noa dragged Seto out, and Mokuba ran ahead to open the door. " Don't tell me you can't move from that other party anymore!" He then proceeded to pull Seto towards the private rooms where the others were waiting.

" Alright, alright, I'm coming," Seto chuckled. Then he gaped. " Yami! Yugi! Jou! Shizuka! You're all here!"  
" Happy Birthday Seto!" Everyone laughed. Noa pushed the birthday boy down to a seat and sat down next to him. The waiters served various foods and everyone was laughing.

" A toast!" Noa laughed, lifting a glass of soda, as everyone else lifted theirs. " To another year of success and health! To nineteen years of hellery and adventure, laughter and tears, success and defeat, and all that other nonsense that made Seto Seto. To the last year of being officially a child, in which I will ensure that I would tease my brother at every turn," There was laughter, " To brothers and sisters, family and friends, to love and wholeness, to understanding, to happiness and joy, support and encouragement, and finally, to more gifts without strings attached!"

" Alright!" The college students and high school students cried, and there was a clinking of glass. Seto looked at Mokuba and Noa and the three brothers touched glasses. 


End file.
